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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600508">What Makes Us Stronger</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowx3yourships/pseuds/rowx3yourships'>rowx3yourships</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Four Families, Food Fights, and a Firetruck [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>K-pop, NCT (Band), WayV (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(as if that wasn't evident with the families setup), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Angst, Child Huang Ren Jun, Child Kim Jungwoo (NCT), Child Lee Jeno, Child Mark Lee (NCT), Child Na Jaemin, Child Park Jisung (NCT), Child Wong Kun Hang | Hendery, Child Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Child Zhong Chen Le, Family Feels, Gen, Hospitals, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Sorry, Illnesses, Injury, Kid Fic, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Parent Dong Si Cheng | WinWin, Parent Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Parent Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Parent Lee Taeyong, Parent Moon Taeil, Parent Nakamoto Yuta, Parent Qian Kun, Parent Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:55:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>37,299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600508</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowx3yourships/pseuds/rowx3yourships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Yuta?” Taeil was out of town at a conference and his first thoughts at getting a call when his partner and kids should already be at school made his chest clench in worry. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“<i>Appa</i>, it’s late and <i>Otousan</i> is still asleep.”</p>
<p>The sound of their oldest son’s voice made the worry grow, and his words made it even worse. “Xuxi, have you called your <i>Bàba</i>? I’m on a trip so I can’t be there right now.” He tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to possibly cause his son to panic. “Where’s Junnie?”</p>
<p>“Junnie is in bed with <i>Otousan</i>. He tried to wake him up. <i>Bàba</i>’s phone didn’t answer.” Taeil could hear the slight quiver in Xuxi’s voice. “<i>Appa</i>, is <i>Otousan</i> dying?”</p>
<p>Taeil paced back and forth across the hotel room floor, trying to mentally sort out what to do while not upsetting his kids even more. “Hey, baby, no. <i>Otousan</i> promised he would coach your soccer team next year, didn’t he?” There was a small hum of agreement from the other end of the call and Taeil continued. “Has <i>Otousan</i> ever broken a promise to you?”</p>
<p>“No.” There was a pause and Taeil heard a shuffling noise. “I’m scared."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Moon Taeil/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Four Families, Food Fights, and a Firetruck [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881748</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>386</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One - Taeil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>while this is part of the "Four Families..." series - this takes place before all the other parts that are posted ... the kids are aged from around 4-9 years old ... and - as there are different timelines for each of the kids and their families - some of them won't appear in this story</b><br/> </p>
<p> <br/>so i have a running joke with a friend that i've been writing stuff that isn't really my normal writing content - as most of my original stuff (and previous / other writing) has been a bit darker (i tend to torture my characters a bit hehe) </p>
<p>well - the other day i had the urge to do some of my normal hurting the characters stuff but couldn't really figure out any ideas ... until last night in one of my random dreams my subconscious came up with who to write about ... and in the process it rippled to other characters - because they're all a big family of sorts ...</p>
<p>i wrote all this out in a spree before work earlier today, so forgive me (and let me know) if there's any issues ... or just let me know what you think in general :) </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>[ i'm not too fond of the title so it might change - i just wanted to get this posted ... i'm terrible with titles anyways though ]</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Taeil frowned slightly, answering the phone call. “Yuta?” Taeil was out of town at a conference and his first thoughts at getting a call when his partner and kids should already be at school made his chest clench in worry. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it’s late and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> is still asleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of their oldest son’s voice made the worry grow, and his words made it even worse. “Xuxi, have you called your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span>? I’m on a trip so I can’t be there right now.” He tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to possibly cause his son to panic. “Where’s Junnie?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie is in bed with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He tried to wake him up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s phone didn’t answer.” Taeil could hear the slight quiver in Xuxi’s voice. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> dying?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil paced back and forth across the hotel room floor, trying to mentally sort out what to do while not upsetting his kids even more. “Hey, baby, no. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> promised he would coach your soccer team next year, didn’t he?” There was a small hum of agreement from the other end of the call and Taeil continued. “Has </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> ever broken a promise to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” There was a pause and Taeil heard a shuffling noise. “I’m scared. I am trying to be big for Junnie. He was crying.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil took a shaky breath, wishing he was there for his boys. “And I’m so proud of you. It’s okay to be scared. You’re such a good big brother.” He put the call on speakerphone and pulled up his text conversations, trying to ignore how his hands had started to shake. “I’m going to try and get your Uncle Ten or Uncle Johnny to come help, okay? And I’m going to try and get your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span> too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t hang up! Please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” The fear in Xuxi’s voice made Taeil’s eyes water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not, baby. I’m going to stay on the phone with you. Did you call the emergency number?” Taeil knew that he probably hadn’t as he was sure the dispatchers would likely stay on the phone with him until the ambulances arrived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I forgot. Can you come home?” Xuxi’s voice was soft and smaller than normal and Taeil took another shaky breath. “I messed up, didn’t I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No baby, it’s okay.” Just then he got a reply from Ten saying that both Johnny and him were on the way over to their house and that Johnny had called for emergency help, although it was difficult as they weren’t there yet to explain what was going on. “Your Uncle Ten and Uncle Johnny are on the way. They called emergency for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Are you and Junnie dressed in outside clothes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh huh.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil could hear the tears in Xuxi’s voice and his heart hurt as he moved to grab his suitcase and start packing his things again. Even if the conference had just started and he hadn’t presented yet, there was no way he was staying here. “Good job, baby. I’m coming home as soon as I can, but for now until I can get your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you two are going to stay with Uncle Ten and Uncle Johnny, okay?” He opened his laptop, quickly typing out an email and sending it to the conference staff as well as the chair of his department at the university explaining that he had an emergency and was leaving. “Do you know how to put the phone call on speakerphone?” There was a hum of acknowledgement and Taeil shut down his computer and continued tossing the rest of his things into his suitcase. “Can you do that for me and go back into the room with Junnie and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was some more shuffling and the sound of Xuxi running through the house, which he would overlook despite having been warned against it countless times. “Junnie, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span> is coming home. Uncle Ten and Uncle Johnny are coming. Here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was more shuffling before he heard the sound of his youngest’s voice. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>, why is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> not waking up?” The tears were evident in his voice and Taeil had to stop for a moment to breathe, blinking back tears of his own. “Xuxi said it's okay, but I’m scared. I tried to wake up </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, baby. Your Uncle Johnny called the emergency number, so the doctors can help </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a sharp gasp and Renjun’s voice cracked as he shouted. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t die!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh, he’s not dying, baby.” Taeil bit his lip for a moment, hoping he wasn’t lying to his sons, a few tears starting to slide down his cheeks at the sound of Renjun starting to sob. “They’re going to make him better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil heard the sound of a door opening through the phone just as he got another text from Ten saying they were at the house and had used the spare key. There were hurried footsteps and he heard Johnny’s voice saying that he was at the house, likely on the phone with dispatch. There was another text from Ten saying that Yuta was breathing and Taeil felt his legs give out from beneath him, dropping to the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey boys, come on, let’s go down to the kitchen. I’ll get you some cereal while we wait on the doctors.” Ten’s voice came over the phone and Taeil took another breath before standing and grabbing his suitcase and hurrying to close it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO! I CAN’T LEAVE </span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Renjun’s voice was loud and shrill and Taeil felt his chest tighten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, baby. Your Uncle Johnny is going to stay with him. You need to eat. I’m on my way home and Uncle Ten will take care of you.” Taeil tried to sound as calm as he could, wishing he was there. “I’m going to stay on the phone as long as I can, okay? Go eat something with your Uncle Ten.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not hungry! I’m not going!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Junnie. We’ll be right back. I’ll show Uncle Ten your favorites.” Taeil felt more tears at the sound of Xuxi trying to help calm his brother down. “Uncle Johnny is here with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s talking to the doctors. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil glanced around the room, quickly trying to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything. “Go downstairs and try to eat something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aegi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> is safe with your Uncle Johnny for a few minutes. The doctors should be there really soon.” Taeil grabbed his suitcase, throwing his work bag over his shoulder and hurrying out of the room and heading for the elevator. “I’m on my way home. I’m trying to get your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span> too. It will be okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a shuffling again and Ten’s voice was clearer, but softer as if whispering. “You’re off speaker for a moment. I’ll keep the kids, don’t worry about it. I texted Sicheng and told him to call me, since you’re on the phone with the boys with Yuta’s phone. I don’t know what’s wrong with Yuta, but he’s breathing at least. Johnny was fighting with the dispatcher until we got here, but hopefully now that he can explain it will be faster. Xuxi is pulling Renjun away, so hopefully we can get him to calm down a bit. I’ll follow the ambulance to the hospital with the boys, Johnny can ride with them. I texted the others to let them know as well. Try not to worry too much and just focus on driving.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil felt like the elevator was taking forever as he nodded to himself at Ten’s words. “Thank you. I’m about to check out of the hotel now. I don’t know what would have happened if-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t. Just be safe driving home. I’ve got the boys downstairs, I’m going to put you back on speakerphone, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give me a few more minutes to check out, okay? I don’t want them to panic, and I don’t know if I trust myself not to while trying to explain and such.” Taeil rushed up to the reception desk, frowning to himself that there was nobody there, quickly ringing the service bell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A man in the hotel uniform walked out from the door behind the counter, a smile on his face. “I’m sorry, sir. How can I help you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil took a shaky breath and put the room key on the desk. “I need to check out early. I’ve had an emergency. I’m with the conference that’s booked here.” He watched as the man took the key with a nod and started typing on the computer. “The room is under the last name Moon. Also, I know it may be strange, but if I’ve left anything could it be held for me to return and pick it up? Or shipped to me? Or something? I just-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes sir, no problem. We have your information through the conference. I’ll inform housekeeping to do an extra check of the room and we’ll let you know if there’s anything.” The man nodded, taking a paper from the printer below the counter. “If you would check to be sure everything is correct and sign on the line at the bottom.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quickly scanning the paper for his address, email, and phone number, Taeil scribbled some form of a signature, trying to keep calm. He heard Ten talking to the boys over the phone, Renjun still sounding like he was arguing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slid the paper back across the counter and the man nodded. “Thank you. Drive safely, sir.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil rushed out the door, almost running into another worker who was coming in. He called a quick apology before almost running to the garage, mentally cursing that he would have to either use another elevator or climb three flights of stairs to get to his car. He cursed under his breath before running over to the elevator and pressing the button, his leg bouncing nervously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he got inside the elevator to go up to his car he heard the sounds of the paramedics arriving through the phone. “I’m almost back at my car, put me back on speaker Ten. Try to keep Junnie from running. Don’t let him see them taking Yuta out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a small hum of acknowledgement before he heard shuffling around and Ten’s voice again. “Jun, hey, come here, talk to your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s on his way home, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aegi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, hey, it’s okay. Are you eating? Uncle Ten is going to take care of you for now, okay? You have to listen to what he says though.” Taeil sighed and rushed out of the elevator, heading for his car. “I’m on my way home. I’ll be there soon, okay?” He quickly pulled his keys from his pocket, trying not to drop them, and opened the back of his car, tossing his suitcase in before slamming the door and hurrying to the driver’s door and sliding in, absently shoving his work bag in the seat beside him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was the sound of the doorbell from the phone and Taeil heard Renjun start to struggle against Ten. “Xuxi, open the door then come back here. Renjun, it’s okay, the doctors are here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Let them take care of him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“LET ME GO!” Renjun’s voice was loud and Taeil could hear more shuffling on the other end of the phone and he felt tears running down his cheeks again. “NO! LET ME GO!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, baby, let the doctors take care of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They need the space to help him. He’ll be okay. Stay with your Uncle Ten for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Junnie. I’m here too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa </span>
  </em>
  <span>is coming home. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>will too.” Taeil heard Xuxi’s voice trying to calm Renjun and he covered his mouth to muffle more crying at how mature Xuxi was, when he was surely upset and worried as well. “Stop hitting Uncle Ten, he’s helping.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil took a breath to try and calm down enough to not upset the boys even more. “It’s going to be okay. I have to drive now. Uncle Ten can call me again in a little while when I’m almost home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, don’t-” Xuxi’s voice cracked and he heard sounds in the background that seemed to be the paramedics going back out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN</span>
  </em>
  <span>! NO! LET ME GO! STOP!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil heard Renjun’s screams again and he dropped his face to his hands. There was the sound of more shuffling and the phone dropping to the floor. He heard Renjun shouting again, his voice choking with tears. Taeil felt his chest tighten. His baby was hurting and there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t there for him when he needed him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was some more shuffling before he heard Xuxi’s voice, the tears evident in his as well. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The doctors took </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Uncle Johnny went with them. When are you going to be here? Why isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span> here?” There was a hiccup in Xuxi’s voice. “I’m scared.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sounds of Renjun’s shouting had changed to sobs with angry words thrown in, and Taeil could hear Ten trying to calm him down in the background. He took a shaky breath before wiping his face and trying to calm down enough to be able to answer Xuxi and try to calm him down. “It’s okay. I’m on my way and we’ve called your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he should be there soon too, okay? Just listen to your Uncle Ten for now.” He took another breath to try and calm down, pulling on his seat belt and starting the car, switching the call to bluetooth. “I’m still here, baby. I’ll stay on the phone, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Xuxi’s voice was small and Taeil tried not to think about everything as he drove to the exit of the garage. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you two. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Taeil mentally cursed as he was stopped at another red light. As soon as he could leave the city he could go faster and try to make the trip shorter. “I’m on my way. Just listen to your Uncle Ten for now. It will be okay.” He hoped he wasn’t lying to them and that nothing was seriously wrong. But for now all he could do was wait in traffic until he made it back home.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>[ i don't own any of the members mentioned / referenced - this is just fiction ]</p><p>i hope you enjoyed :) ... let me know what you thought</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two - Sicheng</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>there's been so much response to the last chapter - i cannot thank you all enough! i'm so glad this story is something you all are liking (even with it being different from what i've been posting on here before) ... seriously - thank you!</p>
<p>also - i'm not a lawyer or a doctor, so some of the things might not be absolutely true, but this is fiction :) ... and there's some stronger language in this chapter - but they're adults and this is (obviously) a stressful situation heh</p>
<p>and yes - this story is going to be formatted with each chapter from a different character's point of view (at least as far as i have it mapped out thus far) ... so hopefully that's something you will like?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[ there's a brief mention of getting sick / throwing up (as in only a sentence or two) - but if it is something you want to skip, then just jump from the asterisks ]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sicheng was walking back to his office when he frowned seeing his cousin rushing in. “Kun? What are you doing here?” He tried to remember if there were breakfast plans or babysitting promises, but he couldn’t think of anything.</p>
<p>Kun rushed over, his voice slightly breathy from what seemed like he had been running. “It’s Yuta.”</p>
<p>Suddenly it felt like his heart stopped and a bucket of ice water was poured over him. He blinked, trying to keep from letting his imagination go too far. “What-”</p>
<p>“Have you not checked your phone?”</p>
<p>Sicheng shook his head, turning back to his office and walking to his desk to pull out his phone. “I left it in here before the first class, why-” His voice cut off at the amount of notifications. He quickly unlocked his phone, skimming through all the missed calls before opening his texts. There were several from Taeil, Ten, Kun, and the group chat with everyone. His hands shook and he glanced back up at Kun. “I-” He opened the text conversation with Taeil and his heart dropped. “The boys-”</p>
<p>“Ten has them. He’s trying to calm Renjun down enough so he can drive them to the hospital.” Kun’s voice was soft and Sicheng blinked and nodded. “I came to drive you. You shouldn’t be alone or trying to drive with this.”</p>
<p>“Is he-” Sicheng couldn’t finish the sentence, not even wanting to think the worst in case he somehow brought it to be the truth.</p>
<p>Kun shook his head, pulling Sicheng into a quick hug. “No, Ten said that he was breathing when him and Johnny got to the house. Johnny rode with him in the ambulance, so he’s there now.” Sicheng nodded before pulling back and grabbing his wallet and keys and starting out of the office before Kun’s voice stopped him. “You should change shoes. And you need a coat and your phone.”</p>
<p>“Right, of course. I just-” Sicheng tried to breathe, starting to feel sick. “I’m a horrible father.” He moved to drop into his desk chair, absently changing shoes without actually paying attention. “Are the boys still home? Or the hospital? I need to be there-”</p>
<p>“Don’t even think that.” Kun forced his head up to look at him. “You are not a horrible father, Sicheng.” He held Sicheng’s chin for a moment until Sicheng nodded slightly. He dropped his hand and pulled out his phone again. “Ten said he’s got the boys in the car and they’re heading to the hospital now. Let’s go.”</p>
<p>Sicheng nodded, jumping up and shuffling around to try and make sure he had everything he needed, taking the coat and his keys from Kun. “Yes, I’ll just-” He walked out of his office, trying to keep breathing as he walked over to the main desk at the front on the way out, stopping to see their secretary and one of the assistants talking. “I uhm-” He cleared his throat, trying to push down the lump that had formed there. “Cancel my classes or substitute them, I don’t care. I have to-”</p>
<p>The other two looked at him in shock and concern before Kun walked up and put a hand on Sicheng’s arm. “Come on.” He turned back to the others. “It’s a family emergency. It will be a few days.”</p>
<p>“Right, yeah, of course. Do what you need.” The words had seemed to shake them out of their shock. “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”</p>
<p>Sicheng nodded absently, not fully staying to listen to the words, having turned to walk out of the front doors. He blinked in the bright sunlight, covering his eyes and looking around to try and find Kun’s car. There was a hand on his back and Sicheng jumped before seeing that it was Kun who started leading him to his car. It was almost as if he was on autopilot, all he could think about was what was going on. </p>
<p>Something happened to Yuta. Their boys had been trying to call for help. Sicheng had missed the calls because of a class. Taeil was out of town because of a conference. The boys had been alone in the house and had to handle this. Ten and Johnny had come to help. Johnny was with Yuta. Ten has the kids. Taeil is on his way back. Kun was driving him to the hospital. Yuta had been taken to the hospital. The boys had to be there and handle everything alone.</p>
<p>The feel of a hand on his made Sicheng jump and he turned to see a concerned look on Kun’s face. “Calm down. You need to breathe.” Sicheng nodded, trying to take a deep breath. Kun pulled back out into traffic heading towards the hospital and Sicheng felt like he was going to be sick again.</p>
<p>He had to get it together and calm down enough so he wouldn’t scare the boys when he reached the hospital. Any more than they were already scared. The thought made his stomach turn again and he took another shaky breath trying to settle himself. He felt like the drive to the hospital was taking forever and he nervously started twisting his fingers together. </p>
<p>“It’s going to be okay. We’re almost there.” Kun’s voice was soft and all Sicheng could do in return was give a half nod. </p>
<p>Sicheng’s mind started going through all the worst scenarios that could happen and his stomach turned. It was his fault. He should have made sure Yuta was awake before leaving for work. Instead he had decided to let him sleep a little longer as he had been busy with booster meetings and practices all week. He should have known something was wrong when Yuta didn’t make any movements or such at Sicheng’s alarm clock. Yuta wasn’t that heavy a sleeper. He should have known.</p>
<p>“Hey, we’re here. Ten texted me which waiting area they’re at.” Kun gently shook his shoulder and Sicheng blinked for a moment before he hurried out of the car. </p>
<p>
  <em> <strong>***</strong> </em>
</p>
<p>Sicheng barely made it out of the car, dropping to his knees on the curb before his stomach rebelled and the small breakfast he had earlier that morning came up. He heard Kun rushing around to him and Sicheng tried to take calming breaths, closing his eyes to will his stomach into resting.</p>
<p>
  <em> <strong>***</strong> </em>
</p>
<p>A bottle was pressed to his lips and Sicheng opened his eyes to see Kun holding a water bottle for him. “Here, drink this. Wash your mouth out.” He felt Kun rubbing a hand over his back and Sicheng took a mouthful of the water before spitting it out as well. “Let me know when you can stand up.” He nodded and took a small sip of the water. </p>
<p>He needed to get inside. Yuta needed him. Their boys needed him. </p>
<p>Sicheng took another breath before pushing himself to stand, hating how he needed Kun to help him up. He nodded and turned towards the entrance, starting to walk across the parking lot. He knew it wasn’t that far of a distance, but at the moment it felt like miles. Sicheng turned to Kun with a confused frown at the piece of gum that was held out to him.</p>
<p>“The mint will help your stomach, and chewing gum tricks the brain into not being nervous. If you were in danger you wouldn’t be eating.” </p>
<p>Absently taking the gum and putting it into his mouth, Sicheng was still confused, but Kun’s voice was calm and certain, and Sicheng would try anything at this moment. He didn’t want to panic again. He needed to be calm for the boys.</p>
<p>Walking into the hospital almost made Sicheng sick again. He hated hospitals, the smell of them always made him uneasy. He watched as Kun went to the main desk and asked for directions to whichever waiting room the others were at before walking back over to take Sicheng’s arm. </p>
<p>“It’s not far. We lucked out and picked the closest entrance. Just two hallways down and then a right turn and past another hallway. We’ll be there in no time.”</p>
<p>Sicheng knew that Kun was talking to try and keep Sicheng’s mind from what was going on, but all he could think about was the worst possible outcomes. He let Kun lead him through the hallways, not paying attention. He only snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a loud shout.</p>
<p>“<em> BÀBA </em>!”</p>
<p>Before Sicheng could look up he felt Renjun run into him, wrapping his arms around his leg. Sicheng pulled Renjun back and knelt down on the floor, pulling him back against him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. He felt another set of arms and glanced up to see Xuxi hugging them both too and Sicheng shifted an arm to wrap around him, pulling them both close. “Shh, it’s okay.” He lightly pressed a kiss to both of their heads and he heard Renjun starting to cry, Sicheng’s throat closed up again. He should have been there for them. He shouldn’t have let this happen at all.</p>
<p>Sicheng had been so caught up in trying to comfort both boys he hadn’t seen Ten and Johnny both sitting in the hard chairs against the wall. Kun had walked over to sit beside Ten, wrapping an arm around him as the three talked in soft whispers. </p>
<p>A doctor walked out from one of the large doors and Sicheng jumped up, having to pick Renjun up in his arms as well, despite being too old to be carried. He rushed over, Xuxi following, his hand tightly holding the leg of Sicheng’s pants. The doctor glanced over with a politely blank expression, and Sicheng wanted to scream for news</p>
<p>“Are you the patient’s family?” Sicheng nodded quickly, starting to feel nervous again. “Hospital protocol doesn’t allow us to release information except to family members.</p>
<p>“Yes, I’m his partner. Please, how is he? What’s wrong?” Sicheng’s voice was higher than normal, his nerves starting to break.</p>
<p>The doctor gave him a blank stare, looking him over. Sicheng quickly decided he disliked the man. “And those are-” The doctor’s eyes turned to where the others had now stood, listening intently. “Mr. Suh already claimed to be the patient’s brother and claimed that Mr Nakamoto had two partners. I must remind you, polygamy is illegal.”</p>
<p>Sicheng decided that he definitely did not like this doctor. “We can’t marry, so it’s not polygamy. So can you just tell us what’s wrong?” Frowning at the doctor’s pointed glance at the others again, Sicheng wanted to scream. “They’re his family as well. Now, please.”</p>
<p>Renjun must have sensed how tense Sicheng was because he turned to the doctor and frowned. “If you’re <em> Otousan </em> ’s doctor then tell us what’s wrong.” Sicheng tried to hush Renjun, but that seemed to only upset him even more. “No <em> Bàba </em>, he has to tell us what’s wrong. He’s being stupid-”</p>
<p>“Junnie, hush. You can’t talk to adults like that.” Sicheng scolded Renjun, although he secretly agreed with him. The glare Renjun turned on him made it obvious he knew it too. Sicheng turned back to the doctor, taking a breath to try and calm down. “Please.”</p>
<p>The doctor had frowned at Renjun’s outburst and seemed even less willing to cooperate. “Legally without a release form, I cannot share medical information with anyone but the patient’s next of kin. There is no such documentation filed with the hospital and without previous records and/or documentation, I cannot disclose any information.” The doctor gave Sicheng a pointed look before nodding, pasting the blank smile on his face again. “You may let the nurse’s station know when the patient’s next of kin arrives. Or <em> if </em> you <em> actually </em> have a release form or such.” The doctor nodded again before turning and walking back through the doors.</p>
<p>Sicheng heard Johnny curse loudly and Kun trying to calm Ten down as well, but all he could think of was that he wouldn’t know how Yuta was or what was even wrong with him. Renjun started to struggle in his arms and he absently leaned down to let him stand on his own, managing to catch his hand before he tried to run after the doctor. Sicheng just stood in place, staring at the doors the doctor had walked back through, his mind blank.</p>
<p>“Fuck this, that’s it. Jae has a legal department.” Johnny cursed loudly before Sicheng heard him talking on his phone, his voice a little softer. “Jae, we need your legal department to figure out how to take down this self-righteous pompous ass doctor. He refused to tell Sicheng what’s going on and insinuated that he’s not going to either.”</p>
<p>There was a pause as Jaehyun was responding and Sicheng heard a small sniffle and glanced down to see Xuxi fighting off tears. Sicheng knelt down beside him, keeping a hand holding tightly to Renjun who was still struggling. “Xuxi, <em> bǎobèi </em>, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“We can’t see <em> Otousan </em>. The doctor said we’re not his family.”</p>
<p>The sound of Xuxi’s words must have caught Renjun’s attention because he turned and instead threw himself against Xuxi. “We are. That doctor is just a- what Uncle Johnny said.”</p>
<p>Sicheng felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced up to see Johnny, his face set in a frown. “Jae said he would ask, but it would take a while and having the forms is the best and easiest way.”</p>
<p>He felt his heart drop and closed his eyes for a moment, his voice soft. “Okay, tell him thank you. We’ll-”</p>
<p>“The adoption packet!” Kun’s voice was loud for a moment and Sicheng turned to him, confused. “The adoption paperwork for the boys probably has something similar or even a set of the release forms. You guys had to do a lot of extra paperwork, Taeil complained about it at lunch with Inseong a few times. Because Inseong’s husband is close with a lawyer or something.”</p>
<p>Sicheng blinked and nodded absently. “I don’t remember all of it. But I know where the files are. Taeil kept duplicates ‘just in case’.”</p>
<p>Ten let out a half chuckle. “Must be a professor thing.”</p>
<p>Kun didn’t respond to the teasing comment but shrugged at Sicheng. “It might be a long-shot but it’s worth a chance?”</p>
<p>Sicheng nodded to himself. “Yeah, of course. I can go-”</p>
<p>“NO! YOU CAN’T LEAVE!” Renjun’s voice was loud and he latched himself onto one of Sicheng’s legs.</p>
<p>“I can go get it for you. Just stay with the boys. Maybe the doctor’s shift will end and his replacement won’t be such a-”</p>
<p>“Jackass?” Johnny interrupted Kun, moving to sit back down in one of the chairs. “Doubt it.”</p>
<p>Kun simply turned back to Sicheng with a sigh. “Just tell me where it is and I can go get it for you.”</p>
<p>“It’s in the safe in the office at the house. The code is the boys’ birthdays. I’m sure it’s labelled.” Kun nodded and Sicheng shifted to hug him as best as he could with Renjun still attached to his leg. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“It’s nothing. Besides, what’s family for?” Kun smiled before stepping back to Ten and leaning over for a quick kiss.</p>
<p>“Taeyong said he’ll pick up the boys. Lele can chase Jisung around their house again.” Ten smiled up from his phone and kissed Kun again.</p>
<p>“Shit, the boys!” Johnny slapped a hand over his mouth, causing a small hint of a giggle from Xuxi. </p>
<p>“Uncle Johnny has been saying a lot of bad words today. You’ll have to eat a lot of soap.”</p>
<p>There was a small bit of laughter at Xuxi’s words before Kun turned back to the exit. “I’ll be back. Hopefully we’ll have a solution.”</p>
<p>“Taeil’s phone sent an update, he’s close to their house. I’ll tell him to stop there to help and you can drive him over as well.” Ten spoke up from where he moved to sit down as well. Kun nodded and walked down the hallway with a wave.</p>
<p>“<em> Appa </em> is back?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>again - THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the comments / such on the story (and others) ... they seriously make my day</p>
<p>and as for making everyone cry with the last chapter - i may or may not have a bit of fun being evil hehe (but i'm not heartless and even with writing this it still sometimes hurts)</p>
<p>do continue letting me know what you all think - i always love hearing other's thoughts / opinions :)</p>
<p>also - with this series as i've been posting things out of chronological order i was wondering if you all would rather it be rearranged to fit the actual timeline or just keep things random like they are ... especially since some of the things in one story may have effects on others in the series ... let me know what you all think ... </p>
<p>i hope you're all having a great day / night! stay safe! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three - Taeyong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>first off - OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS!!! ... the queue for fighting the doctor is getting rather long it seems hehe ... but seriously - your comments have made my day(s) and i love hearing what people think and talking with people about the writing / stories / characters / etc</p>
<p>second - i know you all were probably ready and expecting to have the reappearance of Taeil and more of sorting that out - but this chapter seemed to want to be finished up first ... (i'm writing out multiple chapters / characters' pov - so it's a sort of scrambled mess of whichever gets written first gets posted next) ... so this is more indirectly involved and not quite so heavy with everything (welllll, there is one nasty bit) ... a little bit of lighter stuff to rest the heart (b/c there's still a lot more tough things to get through)</p>
<p>third - we have (a shortened) version of the backstory for xuxi and renjun in this chapter which will help explain some things ... it does involve a car accident (not the accident itself, but the aftermath), so if you'd rather not read that part - skip between the asterisks and leave a comment and i can summarize the basic gist of it</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Taeyong smiled as he sat, playing with Jisung and one of his stuffed toys. He had the day off from work and had kept Jisung with him instead of dropping him off at the daycare. They were sitting in a back booth in the bakery where the kids would spend a lot of their time as well. Doyoung had been busy with the morning rush, so Taeyong sat with Jisung alone. He smiled as the toddler laughed softly. It was still a wonder every time he heard him speaking or making any noises, as it had taken them almost a full year before he would do anything. They had known that Jungwoo and Jisung were going to be a challenge when they adopted them, but there were never any regrets.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Da-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of a series of text messages made Taeyong jump slightly. He looked over and frowned at the sudden flood of messages in the group chat with the others. He frowned and opened the chat and gasped. He turned to the back area of the bakery, frowning slightly. He heard Doyoung singing along with the songs playing over the speakers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The flow of customers had slowed enough that Minhyuk, one of the people who worked at the bakery, came over to try and get Jisung to play again. He had been working on getting the boys more comfortable around him and Jisung had finally started warming up to him a little. “And the little chick has stuffies today?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong nodded with a smile. “Can you keep an eye on him for a moment, I need to talk to Doyoung. Call out if anything happens or you need help or such.” Minhyuk nodded and took the seat opposite Jisung, reaching to start playing with one of the other animals. Taeyong paused for a moment to watch and make sure Jisung was calm enough to step away for a moment before he hurried into the back room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doyoung glanced up with a start at the sound of the door being almost slammed open. Taeyong hurried over, holding his phone out. “Something happened to Yuta.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Doyoung wiped his hands on his apron, as he had luckily only been arranging a new batch of cookies on a plate to go out, and reached for the phone. “Oh my god. And everyone’s okay? What’s everyone doing? What do we need to do?” Doyoung quickly typed on the phone, still using Taeyong’s and not bothering to take his own from his pocket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong leaned against Doyoung, reading along as the chat conversation seemed to explode. He heard a particularly loud laugh from Jisung in the dining room and they both turned to the doors. Taeyong pulled back slightly. “The other kids. What’s going on with the other kids? Since everyone seems to be going to the hospital, who’s going to pick up the others? Preschool should be getting out soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doyoung quickly typed a message and Taeyong watched as he puffed his cheeks nervously while waiting for a reply. He turned to Taeyong and the worry on his face made Taeyong want to wrap him in the tightest hug and never let anything happen to him. “We can take them, right? Jungwoo and Jeno are used to coming here after school, so that wouldn’t be anything unusual for them. We’ve babysat Jaemin too many times to count. Chenle may be a bit wild, but Ten has said Guanheng seems to be helping somehow. Mark is such a sweet kid, I don’t know if he’s completely gotten used to the fact that he has a large family yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. Let them know we can take care of the other kids for a while. Ask if or what we should tell them. You know Jaemin is going to be curious.” Taeyong nodded to himself, mentally making a list of who he would need to pick up and from which schools and when. Luckily most of the kids all go to the same schools, so it’s not too much of an issue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kun and Ten are both at the hospital, so is Johnny. I don’t know if Jaehyun will go after he leaves his work. I don’t know who’s staying at the hospital either. Apparently there’s issues with the doctor.” Taeyong mindlessly started cleaning up the counter where Doyoung had been working as he talked with the others. “They agreed that we should just tell the kids Yuta is sick, but not talk about how bad or such.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong nodded before taking a stack of dirty trays back to the sink and walking back. “Do we know who’s going to be staying the night? Or do we just wait and see?” He started to reach for a covered bowl when Doyoung caught his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, take a breath. We don’t know how late everyone is staying at the hospital. Apparently the doctor is a complete ass and is refusing to tell Sicheng what’s wrong-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! But that’s-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Technically legal. They’re partners, but with none of the three being legally married, it makes things a lot more tricky.” Doyoung sighed, pursing his lips in thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s still ridiculous. I can’t believe a doctor would act like that.” Taeyong took a shaky breath. “God, Sicheng must be going crazy. And the kids.” He tried to imagine how he would feel if the same thing happened to him and his heart dropped. “I can’t even-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doyoung pulled him into a hug. “They’ll figure it out. Even if it ends up with Ten or Johnny just pushing past everyone who tries to stop them.” Taeyong felt the chuckle in Doyoung’s chest and managed to relax just a little bit more. “Or there’s also Renjun. He’s a fierce little one. And he’s probably more than upset enough to do it too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong pulled back slightly with a nod before dropping his arms and rubbing his hands over his face. “I can’t believe what’s happened to those two. Between having their parents taken away from right in front of them, and now this with Yuta too?” He shook his head with a sigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>***</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others had used the same agency that Taeyong and Doyoung found when they adopted Jungwoo and Jisung when they decided they wanted to start potentially looking at adopting a child. What nobody in the group had expected was for there to be a potential match so quickly, and another set of brothers. From what Taeyong had been told, there had been an accident and both of their parents had to be taken to the hospital. Xuxi had been unconscious with a few other minor injuries. But Renjun was almost unscathed, aside from a few cuts and bruises. The paramedics had split them up, and when the ambulance they had taken Renjun in with his mother, who had the worst injuries, arrived at the hospital, he had been kept back by a nurse and one of the paramedics while their mother was taken back to emergency surgery. Renjun had been patched up and told that the doctors were helping his parents and he could see them later. He was taken into a pediatrics room where they had also put Xuxi after he woke up with what they guessed to be a mild concussion and he had a sprained ankle. There were no other living relatives, so the two were left with the nurses. Unfortunately their mother died in surgery and their father died overnight after he was taken to ICU. With nobody else, they were turned over to child services and went to an orphanage that specializes in traumatic cases. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>***</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently Yuta fell in love with them at first sight and somehow managed to convince the agency to let them attempt the adoption process, even with their unusual relationship status and adopting two children at once. Taeyong remembered the process to be extremely drawn out and there had been a lot more legal things to go through, but it all worked out and the boys had been in the family almost as long as Doyoung and Taeyong had Jungwoo and Jisung.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong sighed. “If we’re getting the kids, I should probably take Sungie with me for now? Or are you ahead enough back here to watch him?” Another laugh came from the front area of the bakery and he felt a smile start on his face. “Minhyuk seems to have won him over for now. If I didn’t worry there would be customers I’d let him watch Sungie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doyoung took off his apron and walked to the sink to clean up. “I’m done back here for now. I’ll go out with Sungie. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve gotten to just play with him.” He turned back to Taeyong and held his phone back out to him. “You’ll need this. But you should probably leave. The younger kids will be getting out soon. Luckily there’s enough of a time difference between the schools that you can stop back here with the younger ones. Otherwise, I don’t know how we would drive all of them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Laughing softly, Taeyoung moved to press a light kiss to Doyoung’s lips. “I’ll be back in a little while. Have they told the schools that I’m picking the kids up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I’ll text them to remind them. Be careful. Have fun playing twenty questions with Jaemin on the drive back.” Doyoung grinned as he pulled out his phone to text the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have fun with Chenle and Jaemin and Jisungie when I go out again to pick up the older kids.” Taeyong grinned and headed back out towards the front of the bakery, smiling at the sight of Minhyuk making two of Jisung’s stuffed animals dance across the table. He walked over and stood for a moment just watching. “Oh, are we having a ball?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung jumped and turned to smile at him and Taeyong leaned over to press a kiss to the top of his head. “Da- We dance. You and App- dance.” Jisung waved his arms between Taeyong and the door to the back of the bakery where Doyoung was finishing up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong laughed and nodded. “I see that. Dancing just like your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span> and me.” He smiled before turning to Minhyuk, dropping his voice to keep Jisung from hearing. “Thank you, again. There’s been an emergency with a friend of ours. We’re going to be taking care of a lot of kids tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minhyuk held out the stuffed animals to Jisung. “You let them dance, little chick. I have to get back to work and talk to your Dad for a moment.” Jisung frowned but gave a nod and started playing with the stuffed animals on his own. Taeyong walked back towards the other end of the counter with Minhyuk. “Let me know if you need any help. Playing with the little chick is hardly anything to make a fuss over. And if Doyoung needs me to help out a little more here, I can. Sojin and I can help babysit if you need it? At least your three. Although I don’t think Jeno would be too easy to spend the night away from Doyoung.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Smiling at the other man, Taeyong sighed. “Thank you, seriously. It’s one of our friends from college. Something happened and he had to be taken to the hospital. His kids are there with them, but our other friends’ kids don’t need to be stressed and crowding the hospital. And apparently there’s something going on with the doctor, so we don’t know how long everyone is going to be staying at the hospital with them. Hence the impromptu babysitting and potential sleepover.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, just let me know. I’ll tell Doyoung too. I won’t hold you up any more. You’ve got other young ones to pick up.” There was the sound of the bell over the front door and Minhyuk grinned. “And I have customers. Be careful."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong walked back over to press a kiss to Jisung’s head. “Be good for Minhyuk and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m going to pick up Jeno. And Lele is coming to play today too.” The mention of the other made Jisung’s eyes widen. Taeyong wasn’t completely sure if they were friends or if they were on their way to being mortal enemies; but whichever the answer, Chenle had made it his mission to stick to Jisung. “I love you, Sungie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung mimed throwing a kiss and Taeyong laughed to himself and turned to walk out of the bakery. He walked around to the small parking area behind the bakery and after getting a pair of texts in the group chat saying they had called the schools to let him pick up the kids, he hurried to his car and started on the way to the younger boys’ school.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yet again - THANK YOU for the comments ... feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter as well</p>
<p>also - if there's a certain character / storyline that you'd like to see more of / earlier / etc - let me know :)</p>
<p>you are all wonderful and i hope you're having a great day / night! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four - Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so here we go - this chapter is a massive behemoth (as it combines two of the previous chapters - but from a different perspective) ... there's a lot more overlapping in this chapter with the previous ones - maybe that will help lessen the giant beast this is? hehe</p>
<p>and with this we're back to the angst ... the brief moment of cuteness in the last chapter is definitely not repeated here  </p>
<p>again - thank you all so much for the overwhelming response this story has gotten - your comments and kudos make me so happy to know that people are enjoying this </p>
<p>[ again - i am not a doctor or a lawyer, so any inaccuracies / such are my fault and let's pretend it's not something ... because hey, this is just fiction ]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ten banged on the door to the darkroom that ran along one side of their open loft office space. “SUH YOUNGHO GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!” Ten knew better than to open the door or interrupt Johnny when he was developing some of the more classic type projects they received, but he was seriously weighing the damages of just storming in. “I SWEAR I WILL THROW THIS DOOR WIDE OPEN IF YOU DON’T-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to the darkroom opened just enough for Johnny to step out before it was quickly closed again. “What is so urgent?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you don’t take your phone in there with you, but there’s an emergency-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it the kids? Are they alright?” Johnny interrupted him, rushing past Ten to one of the work tables where he had left his cell phone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get your damn coat and come on, you can catch up in the car.” Ten angrily threw his coat at him, already heading for the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten scoffed at the reaction. He must have seen the messages. “Yeah, so come on! I’m driving, you call emergency dispatch. I don’t think the kids did because they’re on the phone with Taeil.” He sent a quick reply to Taeil letting him know they were on the way over to their house. He rushed down the stairs to the street where he had parked, not waiting for Johnny before getting in the car and starting it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s their address?” Johnny glanced over as he got in the car, Ten barely waiting for the door to fully close before he pulled out on the way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Holding up his phone, Ten used voice controls to pull up the contact information he kept for everyone, holding it out to Johnny. “Here.” They were stopped at a red light and Ten anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, mumbling curses to himself. He felt all the calm he had managed to get from his short call with Kun quickly disappearing. He needed to focus. Take care of things first then when he’s alone or has Kun around, he can let himself freak out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny’s voice was getting strained as he talked to the dispatcher, trying to argue that it didn’t matter they weren’t at the house at the moment, that emergency help was still needed and should be heading over there as well. Ten let out a few more curses at the stubbornness of the dispatcher. His fingers started drumming on the steering wheel again as he tried to calm down again. He would only upset the kids if he showed up in a panic as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he pulled into the driveway of their house, Ten heard Johnny start arguing that they were at the house now so they should send the emergency crew already. Ten ran up to the porch, reaching into one of the potted plants and pulling out the fake rock that hid the spare key and rushed inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten sent a quick text to Taeil that they had made it and used the spare as he rushed up the stairs behind Johnny, stopping in the doorway of the bedroom. He took a breath and shook his head to push away the negative thoughts and worst case scenarios that popped in his mind. He walked into the room, moving to the side of the bed where Renjun was curled up tightly against Yuta, his face covered in tears. Ten’s heart ached at the sight, and knowing that the boys didn’t have the easiest past either made it even worse. He subtly reached a hand to hold under Yuta’s nose, mentally sighing in relief as he felt him breathing, even if it was fainter than normal. He sent another text to Taeil to say that Yuta was breathing, as he knew that would help him as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glancing over, he saw Johnny still frowning while on the phone. He turned his attention to the two kids instead. “Hey boys, come on, let’s go down to the kitchen. I’ll get you some cereal while we wait on the doctors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO! I CAN’T LEAVE </span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun’s outburst honestly didn’t surprise Ten, but he knew he would need to get Renjun away, especially before the paramedics arrived. He heard Taeil’s voice through the phone clutched in Renjun’s hand and Ten could hear that he was barely holding on and trying to act less upset than he was for the kids. Taeil had been the same in college when Sicheng fell at a rehearsal and hurt his wrist, he tried to act stronger than he probably felt to keep from upsetting the people he loves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, baby. Your Uncle Johnny is going to stay with him. You need to eat. I’m on my way home and Uncle Ten will take care of you. I’m going to stay on the phone as long as I can, okay? Go eat something with your Uncle Ten.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not hungry! I’m not going!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Junnie. We’ll be right back. I’ll show Uncle Ten your favorites. Uncle Johnny is here with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s talking to the doctors. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten mentally thanked the heavens that Xuxi was here and helping as well. Although it did hurt to see him trying to act so calm and adult when he was probably just as upset. Xuxi was too good for this world. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go downstairs and try to eat something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aegi </span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan </span>
  </em>
  <span>is safe with your Uncle Johnny for a few minutes. The doctors should be there really soon. I’m on my way home. I’m trying to get your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>too. It will be okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Taeil’s words, Xuxi moved to take Renjun’s arm, pulling him down from the bed, causing him to drop the phone. Ten scooped up the phone, motioning towards the stairs at Johnny and got a nod in return. Xuxi was pulling Renjun towards the stairs, almost carrying him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing an opportunity, he quickly took the phone off speakerphone and held it to his ear, whispering softly so the boys wouldn’t be able to hear. “You’re off speaker for a moment. I’ll keep the kids, don’t worry about it. I texted Sicheng and told him to call me, since you’re on the phone with the boys with Yuta’s phone. I don’t know what’s wrong with Yuta, but he’s breathing at least. Johnny was fighting with the dispatcher until we got here, but hopefully now that he can explain it will be faster. Xuxi is pulling Renjun away, so hopefully we can get him to calm down a bit. I’ll follow the ambulance to the hospital with the boys, Johnny can ride with them. I texted the others to let them know as well. Try not to worry too much and just focus on driving.” He started down the stairs, following the two boys, hearing Xuxi’s voice trying to calm Renjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. I’m about to check out of the hotel now. I don’t know what would have happened if-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten interrupted Taeil, not wanting to let him even think of the worst happening. “Hey, don’t. Just be safe driving home. I’ve got the boys downstairs, I’m going to put you back on speakerphone, okay?” He glanced around the kitchen, trying to remember where the bowls and everything were, and keeping an eye on the two boys who had walked into the pantry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give me a few more minutes to check out, okay? I don’t want them to panic, and I don’t know if I trust myself not to while trying to explain and such.” Ten heard the shakiness in Taeil’s voice and he wished there was something more he could actually do to help them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eye he saw Xuxi trying to lift Renjun up, reaching for a box of cereal and he rushed over, taking the box down before either of the boys could get hurt. “You should have told me. Come on, do you want to share a big bowl? I found the color changing spoons.” He heard the sounds of Taeil checking out of the hotel and tried to focus on that as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten had almost gotten Renjun calm enough to sit at the counter with Xuxi, having agreed to just share a big bowl of the cereal when he heard the sound of the sirens approaching. He heard Taeil through the phone again and he moved to try and coax Renjun back into a part of the kitchen where you couldn’t see the front door in case of more issues. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m almost back at my car, put me back on speaker Ten. Try to keep Junnie from running. Don’t let him see them taking Yuta out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten hummed a small agreement, not wanting to let the boys know too much of what they were saying before switching the phone back to speakerphone. “Jun, hey, come here, talk to your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa </span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s on his way home, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aegi </span>
  </em>
  <span>, hey, it’s okay. Are you eating? Uncle Ten is going to take care of you for now, okay? You have to listen to what he says though. I’m on my way home. I’ll be there soon, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After handing the phone to Renjun, Ten cautiously moved to stand behind Renjun and block his way to the door. He leaned over to wrap his arms around Renjun in a hug, knowing he would probably have to hold him until after the paramedics had taken Yuta out of the house. Renjun didn’t seem to notice until the sound of the doorbell. Ten tightened his arms around Renjun, trying not to hurt him while keeping him as far away from everything and the sight as he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Xuxi, open the door then come back here. Renjun, it’s okay, the doctors are here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Let them take care of him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“LET ME GO!” Ten tried to hold Renjun as he worked to turn around to face the door to follow Xuxi. He tried to ignore the screaming and the tears that had started rolling down Renjun’s face again. “NO! LET ME GO!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, baby, let the doctors take care of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They need the space to help him. He’ll be okay. Stay with your Uncle Ten for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten wasn’t sure how Taeil was managing to keep his voice as calm as he was while hearing his son screaming and crying, along with everything else going on. They had only adopted Chenle a little over a year ago, but Ten knew he wouldn’t be able to do the same if it was his youngest. He tried to catch Renjun’s arms to hold him tighter and avoid the hitting on his chest, but Renjun was near inconsolable and wasn’t going to stop trying to get away however he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Xuxi walked back over and stood in front of Renjun, reaching to try and hug him. “It’s okay, Junnie. I’m here too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa </span>
  </em>
  <span>is coming home. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>will too. Stop hitting Uncle Ten, he’s helping.” Ten hated how grown up Xuxi was having to act. It made his chest ache, knowing that he was hurting too but was pushing it aside to try and help Renjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s going to be okay. I have to drive now. Uncle Ten can call me again in a little while when I’m almost home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, don’t-” Xuxi’s voice cracked as he interrupted Taeil and Ten nodded, about to reassure him when there was the sound of people coming back down the stairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten tried to pull Renjun farther from the door, trying to hide Renjun’s face in his chest to avoid the sight, but Renjun started to fight again, even harder this time</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN</span>
  </em>
  <span>! NO! LET ME GO! STOP!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dropping the phone, Renjun had forced himself around completely, and Ten quickly stood to turn around to keep him from seeing the front doorway. Renjun started screaming and lashing out at him again, hitting and kicking him trying to get away. The sounds of the ambulance doors closing outside seemed to cause another wave of screaming, Renjun’s voice dropping into sobs as there was the sound of the sirens leaving and getting farther away. Ten took several shaky breaths throughout trying to keep from crying himself. Renjun’s screams and sobs were terrible and he hated how broken he sounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, shh. Uncle Johnny is with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he’ll take care of him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun’s sobs had been slowly dying down but he started fighting again. “No, he can’t. The doctors said they would be okay, but- and now-” His voice was choked off and he started to just scream and hit him again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten knelt back down with Renjun, letting him stand on his own but refusing to completely let go. He turned Renjun’s face to look him in the eyes. “Okay, I’m sorry. I can’t promise. But you know we are going to do everything we can. We’re going to fight to keep your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> with you for a very long time.” Ten tried to pull him closer to hug him and hopefully stop him before he ended up hyperventilating. “Calm down, you need to breathe, baby.” Ten motioned with one hand, trying to get him to slow down his breathing, which had turned to almost gasping for air. “Come on, you can do it. There we go.” He continued to motion for Renjun to slow down his breathing, using the tricks he had learned from some of his own therapy sessions years ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Xuxi walked over again, his hand holding the phone tightly, the call with Taeil still on speakerphone. He moved to pull Renjun into a tight hug and Ten again felt his heart ache at how much older Xuxi was acting, just to take care of his brother. “We can go with Uncle Ten. We have grown-ups, so they can’t keep us out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten quickly pulled out his own phone from his pocket and sent a text to Kun explaining what was going on and letting him know that Yuta had been breathing, and he was going to the hospital with the kids as soon as he felt like Renjun was calm enough. There was a reply that Kun was picking up Sicheng now and would meet them at the hospital.  He took a breath before turning his full attention back to the boys who were still wrapped together, Renjun’s crying having slowed down a bit. “Uncle Kun is going to bring your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>to the hospital.” The mention of Sicheng caught their attention and they both looked up, turning back to him. “Are we calm enough to ride with me to the hospital or do we need to wait a little bit longer?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun shook his head so fast Ten worried he might hurt himself. “No, we need to go. We have to be there for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He needs us, until </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span> are there too. Let’s go” Renjun pulled away from Xuxi and started for the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, wait just a moment. We need to put up the cereal, and you need your coats.” Ten caught the impatient glare from Renjun and almost laughed. In any other situation his temper would be amusing, but at the moment, Ten knew his impatience was completely warranted. “You two get your coats and put on your shoes, I’ll put this away.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten barely got the words out before both boys took off, running towards the entranceway. He hurried and put away the cereal, glad he hadn’t actually poured any yet, even though he knew the boys would need food soon. He reached the entranceway just as Renjun was reaching to open the door. “Slow down, Jun. You can’t run outside.” He grabbed his own coat from where he had thrown it haphazardly over the side table along the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After finally opening the door, Renjun shot out past him, running towards Ten’s car. Xuxi wasn’t as frantic but he hurried outside as well. By the time Ten had made it to his car after having locked the house and hid the spare key again, Renjun had already climbed inside and was fighting with Chenle’s booster seat. Xuxi had climbed in and was trying to help as well. Ten was thankful his boys were pretty much the same age as these two, as there would be less potential issues. He leaned into the car, helping Renjun settle before making sure Xuxi was as well before moving to his own seat and starting the car. He checked the group chat to check which hospital Johnny said they had taken Yuta to before starting the car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten reached to turn on the radio, hoping to help calm the boys (and himself) with some music, as he could already hear Renjun kicking his feet against the seat he was in. Luckily they were in the weird timeframe between the morning and lunch rushes, so it didn’t seem that bad on the way to the hospital.Ten’s fingers kept drumming on the steering wheel, trying to make it seem to be just going along with the music rather than from his own nerves. He tried to calm down, inwardly wishing Kun was here to help handle things, he was better at this than Ten was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the hospital, Ten cursed under his breath trying to figure out where to park and which entrance they would need. He didn’t want to go into the emergency department, because he didn’t want to possibly upset Renjun even more with potentially bad flashbacks, but he wasn’t sure where they would have taken Yuta so he could use an entrance close to there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Ten, come on! We’re here! Stop the car already!” Renjun’s voice was impatient and Ten caught sight of him trying to get out of the booster seat already.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, wait for me to park the car. Just another little bit.” He frowned slightly before pulling into the next empty parking spot he came across, barely paying attention to where they had parked. He opened the door for Xuxi and hurried around the car to the door on Renjun’s side and managed to catch him as he had managed to get out of the booster seat and tried to jump from the car to run towards the hospital. “Calm down, you can’t just run off.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hurrying to the closest entrance, Ten tried to keep Renjun from running up to the desk, although his anxiety was starting to rush up again and he wanted nothing more than to just curl up and not have to be the steady and calm one for a bit. He just hoped that Kun wasn’t too far behind with Sicheng. Or maybe they were already here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman behind the desk looked up with a calm smile. “How can I help you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> came here, where is he at?” Renjun’s impatience burst out and Ten took a breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. An emergency patient, not long ago? Nakamoto Yuta?” He felt Renjun start to turn to look around and he kept a tighter hold on his hand. “We’re his family, could you-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman nodded with a smile. “Of course. Let me check.” As she was typing on the computer in front of her, Ten glanced down to see Renjun’s eyes starting to water again. “The name was Nakamoto?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten blinked before turning back to her with a nod. “Yes, he was brought by ambulance-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’ve found him-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know where </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> is? We need to see him, I have to-” Renjun interrupted her and he started trying to lean up on his toes to look over the desk at the woman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, little one. Give me just a moment and I’ll have someone take you back to the waiting area for where he is at the moment.” She picked up a phone and called for someone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten glanced down to see Xuxi had moved to take Renjun’s other hand and was patting it with his own. “It’s okay, Junnie.” He felt his heart ache and wished Xuxi was the playful boy that he had been growing into, instead of having to act much more adult than he is.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An orderly walked out from a door by the desk and the woman explained to him where to take them. Ten barely managed to throw a quick thank you as Renjun almost ran to follow the other man. As they walked, Ten tried to keep track of the path, but knew he wouldn’t be able to remember, especially with whatever was going on with Yuta. He turned to the orderly, taking a breath. “Is there a specific area or name for the waiting area? My husband is on his way with one of Yuta’s partners. That way I can tell them where to ask for directions to?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other man nodded, holding another door open and ushering them through. “It’s the Primary Neurology Diagnostics area.” At the mention of it being neurology, Ten’s breath caught for a moment. Neurology had to do with the brain, he knew that. “If they use the outpatient Neurology entrance, it will be much closer for them.” Ten nodded, trying to keep calm and remember everything so he could tell Kun, while also not panicking at the fact Yuta was in this department of the hospital. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They turned another corner and Renjun managed to pull his hand from his and ran ahead, shouting. “UNCLE JOHNNY YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY WITH </span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Ten glanced up to see that Renjun had run over to where Johnny had been sitting before he stood at Renjun’s outburst. He watched as Renjun started to hit Johnny and start crying again. Xuxi pulled away from Ten and walked over too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he left, the orderly turned to Ten, his voice soft. “Don’t let it scare you too much. It’s just a precaution to take anyone here with any potential neurological issues or any patients undergoing testing here. Most of the time patients are moved elsewhere once there’s been a more specific diagnosis. Whoever you’re here for might be perfectly fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten nodded with a small smile. “Thank you.” The orderly gave a small nod and turned to walk away. Ten pulled out his phone and texted Kun to let him know where they were and what he had been told before he walked over to sit beside Johnny, trying to help calm Renjun down again. He ended up pulling Renjun into his own lap, rocking him slightly like he would do with Chenle to try and calm him down. “Uncle Kun and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba </span>
  </em>
  <span>should be here soon.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun’s crying turned into hiccups and Ten watched as Xuxi stood in front of Johnny, absently tracing a finger over some of the tattoos on Johnny’s arms. While Ten was almost desperate to hear if Johnny knew anything, he didn’t want to risk upsetting either of the boys again. Especially if it was bad news.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>BÀBA</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without warning, Renjun jumped out of Ten’s lap and ran across the waiting area shouting, causing Ten to jump. He glanced up as both boys ran over to Sicheng and Ten felt his eyes start to water at the sound of Renjun’s cries again. He stood and buried his face in Kun’s neck as he walked over to them, letting Ten fall into his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Any news?” Kun’s voice was soft as he asked Johnny, Ten not moving from him for a moment. He tried to soak up as much of Kun’s steadiness as he could. Even though he didn’t want to be selfish, Ten also had to let himself be reminded that Kun was here with him and okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. They took him for some tests, but I haven’t been able to find out anything else. The doctor didn’t accept that I was Yuta’s brother and insisted on waiting on his family. Hopefully with Sicheng here we can find out what’s wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kun tensed at the mention of not being able to hear any news because of not believing they were family, his arms tightening around Ten slightly. The tone of Johnny’s voice made it obvious that he was equally as irritated. Ten pulled back slightly from Kun, keeping turned away from Sicheng and the kids as he wiped at the tears on his face, before sitting back down with Kun’s arm still wrapped around him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The orderly that led us here told me that Yuta could be in this department just for testing or such and to try not to worry too much.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten took Kun’s other hand in his, curling their fingers together, relaxing slightly and letting the sight of their wedding rings help loosen some of the tenseness in his chest. He let himself go through some of the calming techniques one of his therapists had started with him in college. With Kun and Johnny, Ten didn’t feel he had to hide as much as he did, even with some of their other friends. Johnny had been his best friend almost from day one of college, and Kun was Kun. He let their voices wash over him, not completely taking in the words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sudden appearance of a doctor caused the entire group to jump up, and Ten clasped Kun’s hand tightly. He watched as Sicheng rushed over, watching as the doctor seemed to be reluctant to help. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the ass.” Johnny’s voice was low and his frustration was evident.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you the patient’s family? Hospital protocol doesn’t allow us to release information except to family members.” Ten heard the doctor’s words and instantly agreed with Johnny, this man was an ass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I’m his partner. Please, how is he? What’s wrong?” The tension in Sicheng’s voice was glaringly obvious and Ten hated hearing him hurting so much. From the way Kun’s hand tightened slightly in his, it was obvious Kun was upset for his cousin as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And those are-” The doctor gave him a blank stare before turning to where the three of them were standing slightly behind Sicheng, trying to hear any news. “Mr. Suh already claimed to be the patient’s brother and claimed that Mr Nakamoto had two partners. I must remind you, polygamy is illegal.” Ten almost couldn’t believe he heard the doctor correctly and he muttered a curse under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can’t marry, so it’s not polygamy. So can you just tell us what’s wrong?” The doctor turned another pointed glance at them again, and Ten could see Sicheng close to breaking. He was close to snapping at the doctor himself if that would help. “They’re his family as well. Now, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the doctor answered, Ten heard Renjun speak up, his voice glaringly angry. “If you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s doctor then tell us what’s wrong.” Sicheng must have tried to hush Renjun, but that just made Renjun raise his voice. “No </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he has to tell us what’s wrong. He’s being stupid-” Ten had to hide a laugh at Renjun’s words. He agreed with him and would have used some much more colorful words with the doctor if it had been him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, hush. You can’t talk to adults like that.” Sicheng turned back to the doctor, trying to calmly ask again. “Please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor had frowned at Renjun’s outburst and seemed even less willing to cooperate. “Legally without a release form, I cannot share medical information with anyone but the patient’s next of kin. There is no such documentation filed with the hospital and without previous records and/or documentation, I cannot disclose any information.” The doctor gave Sicheng a pointed look before nodding, pasting the blank smile on his face again. “You may let the nurse’s station know when the patient’s next of kin arrives. Or </span>
  <em>
    <span>if </span>
  </em>
  <span>you </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a release form or such.” The doctor nodded again before turning and walking back through the doors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten felt his jaw drop at the doctor’s words and the harsh careless way he had said them. “He can’t, that’s not-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down, if you try to kick his ass then you’ll be banned from the hospital.” Kun wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “We’ll figure this out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck this, that’s it. Jae has a legal department.” Johnny cursed loudly before pulling out his phone, his voice a little softer. “Jae, we need your legal department to figure out how to take down this self-righteous pompous ass doctor. He refused to tell Sicheng what’s going on and insinuated that he’s not going to either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten let the conversations around him fade out as he leaned against Kun. “How can he do that? And without any remorse. Did you see his face when he walked away? He’s going to try and do everything to stop them from seeing Yuta. And I could tell he’s a homophobic ass too. Just the way he looked at us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh, calm down. We’ll figure out a way around him, and after Yuta’s home again you can slash the jackass’ tires.” Ten laughed softly at Kun’s words as he pressed a kiss to Ten’s temple, holding him close. “It’s just a small extra hurdle we have to get through for them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kun pulled back for a moment and Ten raised an eyebrow before Kun spoke again, louder. “The adoption packet!” Ten tilted his head, sharing a similar confused expression as the one on Sicheng’s face. “The adoption paperwork for the boys probably has something similar or even a set of the release forms. You guys had to do a lot of extra paperwork, Taeil complained about it at lunch with Inseong a few times. Because Inseong’s husband is close with a lawyer or something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng blinked and nodded absently. “I don’t remember all of it. But I know where the files are. Taeil kept duplicates ‘just in case’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten let out a half chuckle, lightly squeezing Kun’s hand. “Must be a professor thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kun just returned the light squeeze and shrugged at Sicheng. “It might be a long-shot but it’s worth a chance?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng nodded. “Yeah, of course. I can go-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO! YOU CAN’T LEAVE!” Renjun’s voice was loud and he latched himself onto one of Sicheng’s legs. The outburst wasn’t unexpected again. In fact, Ten would be shocked if Renjun let either or both of his other parents out of his sight for at least a week or two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten felt his phone go off again and he frowned to himself at the alarm he kept on his phone so he wouldn’t get caught up in a project and accidentally forget to pick up the kids from school. He opened the group text conversation feeling a little bad for having forgotten to update the group conversation for Taeyong and Doyoung. He sighed slightly at the offer from them to take care of the other kids for now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can go get it for you. Just stay with the boys. Maybe the doctor’s shift will end and his replacement won’t be such a-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jackass?” Johnny interrupted Kun, moving to sit back down in one of the chairs. “Doubt it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten gave a small laugh, agreeing with Johnny under his breath. “If so I’ll kick their ass.” He smiled and returned the hi-five from Johnny before turning back to his phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nothing. Besides, what’s family for?” Kun smiled before stepping back to Ten and leaning over for a quick kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Taeyong said he’ll pick up the boys. Lele can chase Jisung around their house again.” Ten smiled up from his phone and kissed Kun again, chuckling at the mental image of their youngest running after the other toddler. After the first group get together after they had been able to bring Chenle home, Chenle had insisted that he would be Jisung’s best friend. Ever since he had been on a mission it seemed.</span> 
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit, the boys!” Johnny slapped a hand over his mouth, causing a small hint of a giggle from Xuxi. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Johnny has been saying a lot of bad words today. You’ll have to eat a lot of soap.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten laughed softly, turning to smirk at Johnny before pulling Kun back in for another kiss. Kun smiled softly at him before he turned back to the exit. “I’ll be back. Hopefully we’ll have a solution.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten’s phone went off again and he sighed before glancing up at the others. “Taeil’s phone sent an update, he’s close to their house. I’ll tell him to stop there to help and you can drive him over as well.” Kun nodded and walked down the hallway with a wave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span> is back?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>congrats on making it through that massive one (and the return appearance of the much loathed doctor hehe 😈) ... i probably could have continued a little past the shared ending of the chapters, but i figured i would leave that for later to try to keep the timelines as close to each other as possible :)</p>
<p>let me know what you think / such ... i seriously love chatting with you all so much</p>
<p>i hope you're all having a good day / night! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Five - Jaehyun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm sorry this has taken a bit to update - i hit a bit of a roadblock in the midst of this chapter and had to work on other stuff to try and figure out how to handle things ... so, sorry if this chapter seems a bit odd? and sorry this chapter is mostly a lot of domestic fluff rather than dealing with the actual drama of the storyline (although to be fair, jaehyun hasn't gotten too involved yet) ... but regardless, i hope you still enjoy :)</p><p>also - MORE idol cameos! :) ... yes i love sprinkling in other groups / idols / etc - as i'm <b>VERY</b> multifandom, so i like sharing the love hehe</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jaehyun grumbled as he heard his alarm clock going off and he reached to turn it off, rolling back over and chuckling softly at the sight of Johnny’s face pressed into the pillow, his mouth half open in his sleep. He laid in bed for a moment before shifting to climb out of bed, heading to the bathroom. Quickly going through his early morning routine, he walked back out into their bedroom and laughed to himself at how Johnny had shifted to take up more space in the bed. </p><p>Walking first to Mark’s room, Jaehyun slowly opened the door and peeked in, seeing the boy still asleep. He walked in, sitting lightly on the side of the bed and reaching to shake Mark’s shoulder. “Come on, Markie, time to wake up. You have the first shower this morning, so go ahead.” There was a small grumbling and Jaehyun smiled at the sight of their oldest blinking up at him. “Morning, little lion.” He reached to ruffle his hair slightly. “You’ll feel more awake after a shower.” Mark nodded and seemed to almost sleepwalk around his bedroom getting his things, and Jaehyun stayed to wait and keep an eye to be sure he didn’t forget anything or accidentally run into anything. He went to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a few shirts for him to choose from, laying them out on the bed. He glanced up at the door when he saw Mark stagger back in and go to his dresser to pull out a pair of underwear. Jaehyun laughed and walked with Mark to the bathroom, checking to be sure he had everything.</p><p>Once he had gotten Mark into the shower, Jaehyun walked to Jaemin’s room and peeked inside. He smiled and walked in, sitting on the side of the bed, leaning over to press a kiss to Jaemin’s forehead. “Time to wake up.” There was a slight huff and Jaehyun laughed before leaning over and playfully tickling Jaemin’s sides and pressing kisses to his face. Jaemin squealed and tried to escape, making Jaehyun laugh.</p><p>“<em> Appa </em>, stop! I’m awake!” Jaemin’s voice was broken with laughter, and Jaehyun smiled before pulling him into a hug. His smile grew as he felt Jaemin shifting closer and wrapping his arms around Jaehyun as well.</p><p>While he would disagree to any claims of favoritism between their kids, Jaehyun would admit he loved these kinds of mornings. He would insist that it had become too much of a regular part of his day. For years Jaehyun had spent almost his entire life and all his time devoted to Jaemin, and he couldn’t deny that a part of him still felt too attached to his son. Added to this was how warm and affectionate Jaemin had grown to be. Jaehyun knew he couldn’t claim any specific responsibility for that, he was sure it was simply from being surrounded by such a large and loving family who had always done anything to help him. And Jaehyun may admit that Jaemin perhaps was a little spoiled because of it. </p><p>“Okay, come on, time to get up. You have school and I have work. Besides, isn’t it your turn for show and tell?” Jaehyun glanced around the bedroom. “Do you have an idea what you want to take? I can put it in your bag for you so you don’t forget it when your Dad rushes you both to school because he overslept again.”</p><p>Jaemin laughed at the wink and climbed out of bed. “Teacher said to bring something we haven’t shown the class before that has special meaning to us.” </p><p>Jaehyun watched as he walked over to the small bench area that had been built to sit under the window, both for added storage and to use as another place where Jaemin could sit and read or play. At night, the bench became the home to Jaemin’s toys. Aside from the worn rabbit stuffed animal he had since he was a baby, who he still always slept with. All of Jaemin’s toys had their own “beds” and had to be in a very specific order before they could be tucked in and kissed goodnight, before he could as well.</p><p>While Jaehyun wasn’t sure which of the toys he was planning on taking with him, he was a little surprised to see him walking back with the big bear stuffed animal. It had been the first gift Johnny had given Jaemin for his first birthday, after things between Johnny and him had slowly started to work on getting better again. The bear had also started an amusing tradition for Jaemin’s stuffed animals. He insisted on having one for every member of the family, and they were all different and special. </p><p>“So Daddy Bear is going to school today?” Jaehyun watched as Jaemin pulled the bear close, holding it tightly with a nod. “Well, we should get him properly dressed. Just like you should get ready too. Mark should be finishing his shower soon, so you’re next. Go check and I’ll get your things ready for you.”</p><p>Jaehyun moved around the bedroom, putting the bear on the bed and laying out two different outfits to choose from for the bear before moving to pick out some clothes for Jaemin to pick from as well. He took out a pair of underwear and went to the bathroom, knocking before opening the door. “You forgot to grab these. I’m sitting them on the counter. There’s clothes for you and Daddy Bear to pick from on your bed.”</p><p>Walking down to the kitchen, Jaehyun started a pot of coffee before leaning against the counter, debating on what to make for breakfast. The sound of shuffling down the stairs caught his attention and he turned to smile at Mark. “Hey, little lion. Do you want to help decide on breakfast?” He moved to take down a cup and poured some juice to sit in front of where Mark had sat at the island in the kitchen.</p><p>“Pancakes?”</p><p>Jaehyun laughed and nodded before moving to fix a cup of coffee. “Can you stay clean? You’ve already taken a shower.”</p><p>Mark nodded, trying to pull puppy eyes. “Of course I can. I’m not a little kid.”</p><p>Nodding with a laugh, Jaehyun turned to the pantry to get out some of the ingredients. “Of course you’re not. How about a compromise. No syrup pancakes today, but I’ll add cinnamon apples?” He watched as Mark gave a thinking expression before nodding. “Good choice.”</p><p>There was the sound of more footsteps coming down the stairs and Jaehyun glanced over to see Johnny walk in, his hair a mess from sleep and Jaehyun couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Jaehyun carefully started to mix the ingredients for breakfast, smiling as Johnny shuffled over to the coffee pot. “Have I told you how much I love you?” </p><p>Jaehyun laughed at the comment while Mark made a disgusted noise. “Yes, but feel free to do so again.” He continued moving around the kitchen, gathering the additional elements and smiled as Johnny pulled him into a hug. “Careful, I have a sharp knife.” </p><p>Johnny pulled away and started to sip his coffee before glancing over at the ingredients Jaehyun had set up along the counter. “What are you making?”</p><p>“Pancakes!” Mark’s voice was excited, even as early as it was and Jaehyun laughed. “<em> Appa </em> said no syrup so we’re having cinnamon apple.”</p><p>The last set of feet were heard coming down the stairs and Jaehyun turned to see Jaemin frowning as he walked into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Minnie?”</p><p>Jaemin crossed his arms over his chest with a pout and Jaehyun had to stop himself from awwing at the cuteness. “Daddy Bear’s shoes are missing. He can’t go to school without them.”</p><p>“Daddy Bear is going to school today?” Johnny’s voice spoke up from beside him and Jaehyun caught a surprised look flit across his face for a moment before it was hidden. </p><p>“It’s my turn for show and tell. Teacher said to bring something we haven’t brought before that has special meaning to us. But Daddy Bear can’t go to school without his shoes. And I don’t want to take anything else.” </p><p>Jaemin’s pout had grown even more pronounced and Jaehyun hid a smile as Johnny walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. “Come on, I’ll help you find his shoes while <em> Appa </em>finishes breakfast.” Johnny scooped Jaemin into his arms and carried him back up the stairs, even though Jaehyun had told him that Jaemin was too big to be carried around.</p><p>Mark laughed softly and Jaehyun turned to him with a raised eyebrow, which only made Mark grin wider. “Jaemin hid the shoes in his window seat.”</p><p>Jaehyun moved one of the finished pancakes to a plate and set it in front of Mark. “Did he now? And be careful, it’s still hot.”</p><p>“Yup. I saw him last night. Dad was in the basement working and you were in the shower.” Mark started to eat the pancake in front of him and Jaehyun nodded with a grin, moving the finished pancakes to plates as he continued cooking. </p><p>The sound of a triumphant noise came from upstairs and Jaehyun heard Mark laugh and he turned to wink playfully. “Sounds like they found them.” He finished up with the last of the pancakes and moved to put the plates on the island in the kitchen for the others before turning to rinse the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher. </p><p>Johnny came back around the corner, carrying Jaemin on his back with a grin. “The shoes have been recovered! Daddy Bear can go to school.” Jaehyun nodded with a smile, catching the barely contained laugh from Mark.</p><p>“You need to stop carrying the boys around, they’re getting too big and you’re too old, you’ll hurt yourself.” Jaehyun heard both kids laugh and he grinned at them, taking a cup and pouring juice for Jaemin, sitting it in front of his seat. “Now come on and eat before they get cold.”</p><p>Jaehyun felt Johnny wrap his arms around him, lifting him up in the air in a hug. “If I’m too old to lift the boys, then how can I lift you?” Johnny sat him down and kissed his cheek, which earned a groan from the kids, before sitting at his spot as well. “Wait, why are you still here? You should have left already, you’re not even dressed yet.”</p><p>Sitting in his seat, Jaehyun smiled and took a bite of the food before shrugging. “Mr Kim said to take a late morning today. I’ll have to go back in later tonight because there’s a teleconference call with one of the international regional areas. So with the time difference I’ll have to go back in around 10 tonight, but only for an hour or two.” He took a sip of his coffee. “So I have a late morning and I can spend a little more time with my favorite boys. I’ll probably go in when it’s time to take these two to school.” He glanced over to see Johnny almost falling asleep sitting up. “I’m surprised you’re awake. Another big project?”</p><p>Johnny hummed with a nod, drinking more of his coffee. “Three weddings, a new store’s grand opening, and a few single commissions. Ten’s not quite as busy, since the weddings want traditional photography, but he has a few ads and a billboard.”</p><p>“That’s good though, right? If you have that much business then it means you’re doing things right and doing a good job.” Jaehyun smiled at him, leaning to playfully bump shoulders. He was always ready to share how proud he was of them for having started their own company almost right out of college and to be where they are now.</p><p>Johnny nodded, still seeming to be focused on his coffee. “Of course. I’m not upset over having as many jobs as we do. They just seem to come in waves is all.”</p><p>Jaehyun nodded, gesturing to the plate in front of Johnny. “Go ahead and eat. I won’t have the time the rest of the week for full breakfasts like this again until the weekend, so enjoy it while you can.” He started to eat his own food, glancing over at the kids with a smile. “You too. We all know your Dad isn’t going to wake up early enough every day for this sort of thing.”</p><p>Both of the kids laughed and Jaehyun smiled, enjoying the slower paced morning. Normally these sort of things were reserved for the weekends, and he couldn’t deny it was a nice way to start his day. Hopefully this would be a good omen. </p><p>~*~</p><p>Jaehyun raised an eyebrow as his assistant came rushing into the conference room, causing all the others to turn towards the interruption. He knew there was a meeting and that only emergencies were cause for interruption. That instantly worried him, as his first worry was something happening to the kids. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Mr. Jung, sir. You have urgent messages on your phone.” His assistant walked over and handed him the phone. “I wouldn’t have interrupted, but there have been multiple messages, and several missed calls, including from your husband.”</p><p>At that Jaehyun stood quickly, taking the phone and glancing around the room. “Excuse me for a moment.” He quickly bowed and walked out of the room before opening his messages and starting with the text conversation with Johnny. Although a few more continued messages in the group chat drew his attention away. </p><p>Skimming through the backlog of messages, Jaehyun felt his heart drop. He quickly replied to Taeyong asking about picking up the kids, thanking him and promising to call the boys’ schools. He was about to text Johnny back when there was a call from him, and he quickly answered.</p><p>“Jae, we need your legal department to figure out how to take down this self-righteous pompous ass doctor. He refused to tell Sicheng what’s going on and insinuated that he’s not going to either.” Johnny’s voice was harsh, and he was very obviously upset. </p><p>“I don’t know if they are really qualified for that sort of thing. But I’ll ask Dongmin after I finish this meeting. He might know something. Did the doctor give any sort of reasoning?” Jaehyun paced slightly. </p><p>“The asshole claimed Sicheng wasn’t family and only family or next of kin could be informed about the details. Or some form they need to have so Sicheng can find out what’s going on. Which is bullshit, those three are just as much married as we are.”</p><p>Jaehyun sighed with a frown. “But legally they aren’t-” He heard Johnny about to interrupt him again and he continued quickly. “Look, I agree with you, trust me. But they’re not legally married so in a way, the doctor is right. It’s complete nonsense, but that’s how it is. If they have a form it would be the easiest solution, but I’ll ask Dongmin if he knows anything to help, okay?”</p><p>“Okay. I just, you should have seen how the asshole said it too. He’s not going to cooperate. He’s probably a homophobic piece of shit.”</p><p>“John, it’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out. Just keep me updated on everything. I’ll find Dongmin after the meeting and see what he says and I’ll call you to let you guys know. I have to get back to this meeting though. Stay there and help, let Sicheng know I’m going to try my best.”</p><p>“Of course, you need to get back to work. It’s just-”</p><p>“I know. I’ll call you later. Love you.”</p><p>“Love you too, now go kick some corporate ass.”</p><p>Jaehyun laughed to himself as he ended the call and tucked his phone into his pocket before walking back into the conference room, glancing around apologetically. “I’m sorry about that. Family emergency. Let’s get back to where we were.”</p><p>~*~</p><p>Jaehyun looked at Dongmin, nervously biting his lip. He had managed to catch his friend in his office just before lunch and offered to buy him lunch so they could discuss the issue, so they had walked to a nearby cafe. “I know it’s not exactly your specialty, and it’s asking a bit of a favor, but I need some help. Well, a friend of mine does.”</p><p>Dongmin raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his water. “What do you need? Tell me the details and I’ll see if I know anything. Or I can at least let you know someone who might be a better help than me?”</p><p>“You remember Yuta, right? He would come take care of Jaemin during finals or such? He always claimed to be the favorite uncle?”</p><p>Laughing, Dongmin nodded. “The loud smiley one, right?”</p><p>Jaehyun nodded. “Well, something happened and he’s in the hospital, but the doctor is refusing to tell his partners anything. They’re not technically married because, well, there’s three of them. Yuta, Sicheng, and Taeil.” He paused, glancing to see Dongmin nod before continuing. “Johnny went in the ambulance with Yuta and told them they were brothers. Which, might as well be the truth. But the doctor didn’t believe him. And then when Sicheng got to the hospital, the doctor refused to tell him anything either, insisting that some kind of release or something was needed to prove Sicheng was allowed to be informed of any medical discussions or such.” He paused and took a sip of his drink. “Johnny said he seems like a homophobic asshole who’s just looking for any way to be difficult. But apparently one of their kids even argued with the doctor as well. Renjun, he’s a fiery little one, he’s Jaemin’s age. And both him and Xuxi, their oldest, have a bad history with hospitals, so it’s no wonder he lashed out.”</p><p>After taking a bite of the sandwich he had ordered, Dongmin frowned. “I don’t know much about that sort of law. I can do a quick check and see if there’s anything I can find out. But having that form would probably be the quickest and easiest way. I might know someone else who could help? Or, he’s not technically a lawyer, but you could ask Hao’s husband. He is in social work, right? Maybe he knows another way?”</p><p>“Right, of course! It’s just caused a ton of chaos and I don’t think there’s a lot of calm thinking going on at the moment. It didn’t help that Taeil was out of town at a conference, so he’s had to rush back. And it was the kids who found Yuta still in the bed.”</p><p>Dongmin shook his head. “That’s horrible. I can’t imagine-” He sighed. “That’s a rough situation all around, I guess.” Jaehyun nodded with a frown. “I’ll look into it and see if I can find something. You should try to get in touch with Hao’s husband, see if he knows anything.”</p><p>Jaehyun nodded with a sigh. “Thanks. Even if you can’t find anything, thanks for trying.”</p><p>“I still owe you for helping me pass Professor Han’s class in sophomore year.” Dongmin laughed softly before taking another bit of his lunch.</p><p>“True, you were hopeless in that class.” Jaehyun laughed along with him before pulling out his phone and texting Johnny to let him know what Dongmin had said and then sending a message to their other friend’s husband asking for help as well. Hopefully one of them would be able to find a way to get around things.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>again - all of your comments are so wonderful and i cannot thank you enough - seriously, i may not reply right away, but i keep a check and read them all and they seriously make my day - thank you so much</p><p>let me know what you thought of this chapter </p><p>and happy december! everyone stay healthy and safe! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Six - Doyoung</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so we have another brief interlude of fluffy (although there's a little bit of drama / angst? maybe?) ... also this only leaves two other people before we've gone through all the adults (excluding Yuta, for obvious reasons hehe) - and that will bring us around to where we can go through the others with what happens after each of their chapters (maybe we'll find out what's going on with Yuta?) :)</p>
<p>thank you all so much for the response this story has gotten - your comments mean so much to me and i'm so glad this story seems to be getting such a good reaction (even with the troublesome and much hated doctor hehe)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Doyoung smiled as Taeyong walked through the front doors of the bakery, the three youngest in tow. Luckily, Minhyuk had agreed to stay over a bit until after the older kids were picked up and Taeyong could get back to help out before time for the evening shift. </p>
<p>There was an ear-piercing squeal and he watched as Chenle ran over to the table, instantly climbing to sit beside Jisung, who looked either shocked or scared or a bit of both. Chenle started rambling away to Jisung, his words almost too fast to be understood, and Doyoung shook his head slightly. Hopefully Chenle would calm down after the initial frenzy. Of course, knowing the child, he was doubtful.</p>
<p>“<em>Appa </em>?” Doyoung felt a tug on his arm and smiled at Jeno before pulling him into a hug. “Why wasn’t Injunnie at school?”</p>
<p>“Uncle Taeyong said that Uncle Yuta was sick, but that’s all. He said to ask you.” Jaemin had walked over as well and leaned his arms on the table, frowning up at him. </p>
<p>Doyoung turned to see Taeyong smile with a wave as he went back out the door. He was definitely going to get it later. He turned his attention to the two kids in front of him, trying to talk over Chenle’s excited rambling without yelling. “Uncle Yuta had to go to the hospital, and Renjun and Xuxi are there waiting for him.”</p>
<p>“Why are they waiting for him? Is that where Dad is? And Uncle Ten? Since they didn’t come to the school, and Uncle Taeyong picked us up?” Doyoung mentally shook his head. He didn’t want to try and explain this to the kids, and Jaemin wouldn’t stop asking questions until he felt he knew everything. “Are they waiting for Uncle Yuta too? So we’re staying with you and Uncle Taeyong?”</p>
<p>“They went to wait and to take care of Xuxi and Renjun until your Uncle Taeil and Uncle Sicheng got there. And now they’re waiting with them.” He tried to find a way to explain everything without making the boys panic, but still enough answers to satisfy Jaemin’s endless questions. “The hospital only allows a certain number of people, so you’re staying with us for now.”</p>
<p>“How long are they staying at the hospital? Is Uncle Yuta really bad sick?” </p>
<p>Doyoung paused, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to upset them. He felt Jeno’s arms tighten around his waist, so he slid farther into the booth and pulled Jeno up to sit beside him. “I don’t know how long they’re staying. I don’t know if all of them will stay either. It depends on what the doctor says.” He paused, mentally cursing the doctor, as he had been getting updates from Ten and Johnny, and he knew the doctor was an ass. “So for now, you’re staying with us. If your Dad stays too late, you can have a sleepover with Jeno. How does that sound?”</p>
<p>“But what about Injunnie? Is he staying at the hospital too? Can I go see them? Injunnie doesn’t like hospitals or doctors.” Jaemin frowned and moved to stand back, crossing his arms over his chest. “He needs his best friend, so I need to go.”</p>
<p>“Renjun has his <em> Appa </em> and <em> Bàba </em>, along with Xuxi. He’ll be fine. You can’t go to the hospital yet. You have to wait until they allow visitors.”</p>
<p>Jaemin’s frown didn’t falter and Doyoung mentally cursed Taeyong for leaving him to attempt to explain everything. “If there’s no visitors, why are Dad and Uncle Ten waiting there too?”</p>
<p>“Your Dad and Uncle Ten went to the hospital with your Uncle Yuta and Renjun and Xuxi. They’ve been there the whole time.” Doyoung tried to think of how to best explain everything going on, especially knowing that Jaemin wouldn’t stop questioning things until he felt like he had gotten all the answers he wanted. </p>
<p>Luckily Minhyuk walked over and smiled at the kids, playfully ruffling Jaemin’s hair. “Hey little ones. Anyone want hot chocolate?” The squeal from Chenle made Doyoung wince and Minhyuk just laughed before kneeling down to get closer to eye level with Jeno. “Hey there, Jeno. Are you having a sleepover tonight?”</p>
<p>Doyoung mentally sighed as Jeno shifted to burying himself closer into his side. Minhyuk had been working on getting Jeno to warm up to him as well, especially since Jisung seemed to have come out of his shell a bit. But it looked like today was going to be a bad day with Jeno. Doyoung wrapped his arm tighter around Jeno and gave Minhyuk a small smile. “You don’t have to do it for them. And Chenle doesn’t need any extra sugar.” </p>
<p>Minhyuk stood and shook his head. “Nonsense. It’s nothing special. And I’ll use the sugar free for this little one.” He poked Chenle’s cheek and Jisung laughed, which sent Chenle into a rambling spree again. “You’ve definitely got your hands full tonight.”</p>
<p>Jaemin climbed into the booth beside Jeno as Minhyuk walked back behind the counter, leaning over to rest against Jeno. “Minhyuk makes really good hot chocolate. You’ll like it.”</p>
<p>“<em>App- </em>” Doyoung turned his attention to Jisung. “Woo come back?”</p>
<p>“Of course he is, Sungie. That’s where Dad is. He’s picking him up from school. Woo, Mark, and Guanheng.”</p>
<p>Chenle bounced and turned to Jisung with a smile. “Hennie is the best. We can have him play dragons with us!” Doyoung watched as Jisung seemed to be unsure and fought back a laugh. “Hennie can be the bad guy. You can be the magic prince. And I’ll be a knight to come save you!” </p>
<p>Jisung frowned and shook his head. “What’s Woo?” He patted one of his puppy stuffed animals that he had named after his brother.</p>
<p>The fact that Jisung was interacting with Chenle surprised Doyoung a little, but he wasn’t going to interrupt. Any time he saw Jisung opening up and talking with people, Doyoung couldn’t help but remember the terrified child he had been when he first came to them. It made his chest tighten at the thought of how far he had come. Jeno was slowly doing better as well, even if he had some bad days where he would almost refuse to leave Doyoung’s side. </p>
<p>“Woo can be the king! He can be under a spell too!” Chenle’s story was extravagant and Doyoung subtly watched as Jisung thought for a moment before nodding, which made Chenle squeal again. Jeno flinched and buried his face further into Doyoung’s side while Doyoung gently ran a hand through Jeno’s hair. </p>
<p>Minhyuk appeared back at the table with a tray of cups, smiling at the kids. “Here we go, hot chocolate for the little ones.” He passed out the cups, watching as the kids smiled at him. “Sippy for the little chick, an extra special mixture for you, extra whipped cream for Jeno, and a special surprise for Jaeminnie.”</p>
<p>Doyoung raised an eyebrow at the mention of a surprise for Jaemin before Minhyuk mouthed that he added caramel. He laughed as Jisung mimed throwing a kiss at Minhyuk, who playfully acted like he had been hurt, which caused Jisung and Chenle to both laugh in return. Jeno whispered a small ‘thank you’ and Jaemin thanked him as well. Minhyuk gently ruffled Jaemin’s hair again before the bell over the front door chimed and they glanced back to see Taeyong walking in with the older kids. </p>
<p>Chenle jumped up and ran over, nearly tackling Guanheng in a hug. “Hennie! You have to play knights with me and Jisung! You’re the bad guy and Jisung is the magic prince and I’m the knight saving him and Woo can be the king!” Doyoung watched as he grabbed Guanheng’s hand and started pulling him towards the booth. “Minhyuk made us hot chocolate too! You can share mine, it’s an extra special mixture.”</p>
<p>“Of course. But remember what <em> Bàba </em> says? We have to use inside voices. Some people are scared of loud things.” Guanheng’s voice was soft as he was pulled over to the booth. “If you’re a knight saving the prince, you have to be sneaky. You can’t be sneaky unless you’re quiet. I’ll catch you if you don’t.”</p>
<p>Doyoung watched as Chenle’s eyes widened and he nodded, climbing back into the booth beside Jisung. “Right! I’ll be sneaky so you can’t catch me and I can save Jisung.” His voice was softer, and Doyoung had to admit that Ten had been right, Guanheng was able to help with Chenle.</p>
<p>Jungwoo walked over and stood by the side of the table, smiling as Jisung waved and reached for him. “So I’m the king?” He quickly caught Jisung’s hands as he stood in the booth. “Careful, Sungie.”</p>
<p>Taeyong laughed as he walked over. “How about we share two booths? That way the dragon game can all fit on one table. They have an entire kingdom to play with, after all.” </p>
<p>Jaemin nodded and climbed out of the booth, grabbing Mark in a hug before turning back to Jeno to take his hand. “Come on, Markie can read our story for today. You can hug Daddy Bear if you want?”</p>
<p>Doyoung turned to Taeyong, looking over the kids’ heads with wide eyes. The fact that Jaemin was offering to let Jeno hold one of his favorite stuffed animals was a big deal. Especially since it was the bear Johnny had given to him. The whole group knew about Jaemin’s stuffed animal family and had gotten to meet them all. The only ones he refused to share were the ones from Jaehyun and Johnny. </p>
<p>Jeno shifted to look over at Jaemin before turning to look back up at Doyoung. “You’ll sit too?” His voice was soft and Doyoung felt his heart melting again. </p>
<p>Almost from the moment they met Jeno he had seemed to attach himself to Doyoung. And after hearing how he had been abandoned and figuring out he had severe separation anxiety, it was no surprise. Some days were better than others and they could get Jeno to go to school or be in another room, but other days Jeno was almost attached to Doyoung and would follow him everywhere and could only be pulled away if he was switched with Taeyong. They still had issues with going out in public, especially large crowds, so they tended to try and avoid that as much as possible. </p>
<p>“How about this, I’ll sit with you and Jaeminnie and Mark. <em> Appa </em> probably needs to do some things in the kitchen.” Taeyong’s voice was soft and he reached to run his hand through Jeno’s hair. “I don’t think the others at the hospital with Uncle Yuta have eaten lunch yet. <em> Appa </em> can make them food and then he can sit with you again while I take it to them.”</p>
<p>“Injunnie needs food? <em> Appa </em>, will you make the special brownies for him?” Jeno had pulled away to sit up on his own without being attached to Doyoung and looked up at him. Even if Doyoung hadn’t been planning on adding some desserts to the set of food, the pout from Jeno would have instantly changed his mind.</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Jeno nodded before moving to climb out of the booth and moved to wrap his arms around Taeyong in a hug but was caught by Jaemin pulling him into a hug instead. Doyoung paused a moment before he saw Jeno wrap his arms around Jaemin in return, and he shifted to climb from the booth himself, smiling as Jungwoo and Guanheng slid onto the seat and Chenle started loudly talking about the game again. </p>
<p>Doyoung leaned in to press a kiss to Taeyong’s lips before pulling back slightly to whisper. “You’re still in trouble for leaving me to play twenty questions.” He smiled before pulling back and gently running a hand through Jeno’s hair. “I’ll just be in the kitchen. Dad is going to stay right here with you. If you need me, Dad can bring you to your square.” </p>
<p>After a meeting with Jeno’s therapist, they had been given the suggestion of having a designated spot for Jeno to be in the kitchen with Doyoung, but out of the way where he couldn’t potentially get hurt. That had resulted in them taping off a square of the kitchen with a small table and stool where Jeno could be allowed to sit back there and still be able to see Doyoung the whole time without the risk of getting hurt. They had slowly been weaning Jeno from using the square and having to sit in the kitchen with Doyoung, but today would be an exception.</p>
<p>Jeno nodded, still being held in a hug by Jaemin, who was notorious for being extremely physically affectionate. Doyoung turned to press another quick kiss to Taeyong’s lips before turning to the kitchen, mentally making a list of things to prepare, both actual lunch foods and desserts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so there's a little hinting at another of the kids' backstories - let me know if you want to see more ... or even perhaps just another story that just focuses on the backstories for all the kids and how they came to be with the families? (we have jaemin's already in the series - "Some Mistakes are Just Happy Little Accidents")</p>
<p>i hope you enjoyed ... feel free to let me know what you think </p>
<p>to all the people who give kudos or comment - thank you, it seriously makes my day :)</p>
<p>and to all my regular commenters - THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 🥰</p>
<p>i hope you're all staying happy and healthy and i hope you all have a wonderful day / night! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Seven - Kun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>first off - i am so sorry this has taken as long as it has to get out ... things got crazy with my real life and work and such so i didn't get much time to write ... not to mention hitting a little bit of a snag with writers block on this chapter and the next (i know what happens, but writing it and how to make it happen - that's where it gets me sometimes) - also i wasn't sure who's chapter would get posted next (as i've been writing on both) ... but now we are only missing johnny's side of things before we're caught up to the same timeframe (for the most part) and can get new material ... and possibly news about a certain missing someone :)</p>
<p>also - in this chapter i'm doing something different from what i've done in the previous ones ... i'm using a time skip ... since we've already seen what happens in some parts multiple times, I'm skipping over the hospital stuff ... plus this means you get more new material! ... hopefully this new idea works and you all don't hate it / me for it (the next chapter is going to be back with some overlap - along with everyone's <i>favorite</i> doctor hehe - so there's that)</p>
<p>and yet again - i'm not a doctor or a lawyer, so i'm just making some of this stuff up as i go - but hey, it's fiction hehe</p>
<p>thank you all for the comments and kudos and such and thank you for being patient with me on this story (and the others in the series) ... i hope you enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Uhm, Professor Qian?” Kun turned from the board where he had been writing out some key points, raising an eyebrow at one of his students. “Your phone has been going off a lot. Do you need to check it?”</p>
<p>Luckily he was teaching one of his upper level classes, so it was a smaller group of students who had been with him for a few years and seemed to be more comfortable with him. Kun walked to the desk off to the side of the front of the room, frowning as his phone went off again. Ten knew he had lectures right now, so he wouldn’t be sending anything unless it was an emergency, and the others were all most likely busy with their own jobs as well. The boys’ schools rarely called him, as they had been instructed to call Ten first if anything happened.</p>
<p>Another call showed up and Kun frowned to himself at the sight of Ten’s face. He turned back to his students. “Excuse me for a moment. You can finish reading the passage we’re working on and prepare any questions for when I get back.” </p>
<p>Kun quickly walked to the door, stepping out into the hallway and answering the call. “Ten? What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“It’s Yuta. Something happened and he’s not waking up and Sicheng isn’t answering his phone and Taeil is out of town. I’m about to go over to their house with Johnny right now. The kids are alone. I’m sorry, I know you have lectures, but I don’t know what else to do.”</p>
<p>Ten’s voice was shaky and Kun started to pace. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m almost finished with this one and I can just let my TA take the others. What do you need me to do?” Kun tried to keep his voice calm, knowing that Ten was probably panicking a bit even if he would act strong outwardly around anyone else but him.</p>
<p>“Get Sicheng? I don’t know. The boys are going to be upset, I don’t want to think about how they are with what’s going on. Especially Renjun. I just-” Ten was rambling and Kun knew he was second-guessing himself and letting himself worry too much. As self-confident and strong as Ten might appear to the rest of the world, Kun knew parts of that were simply an act. </p>
<p>“Shh, it’s okay. I’ll go pick up Sicheng. Let me know if I need to bring him to their house or the hospital. Don’t worry. You can do this. Just focus on the kids. Make sure they’re okay for now. Well, okay as they can be. I’ll take care of Sicheng and I’ll see you in a little while, okay?” </p>
<p>There was a pause and he heard shuffling before Ten’s voice softly responded. “Okay. Be careful. I love you, Kunkun.”</p>
<p>Kun chuckled softly at the nickname. “I love you too. I’ll see you soon.” There was a small hum of agreement and he ended the call before taking a deep breath. He turned to walk back into the classroom, stopping at the desk. “I’m sorry, there’s an emergency so I have to end class early. I’ll email you all the work for the next class. Have a good rest of your day.”</p>
<p>There was the sound of the students talking for a moment before he heard them shuffling out of their seats, as Kun had already started typing a quick email to his TA to take care of the rest of his lectures before shutting down his computer. Several students stopped by the desk on their way out saying they hoped everything was okay and the like, and Kun nodded with a slightly forced smile. All he could think about was getting Sicheng and heading to the hospital, and hoping that everything would be okay with Yuta.</p>
<p>Pausing for just a moment to let his mind panic and run through every horrible thing that could happen with all the worst case scenarios, Kun closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, before pushing away all the worst things his mind could conjure up before gathering his things and heading out of the classroom. It was going to be a long day and he would need every bit of calm and strength he could muster. He had to be there for the others. Sicheng needed him, Taeil would need him, the kids would need him. And he knew Ten was likely panicking and feeling lost as well. He could handle it for now. </p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p>When Kun arrived at the trio’s house, he sighed as he saw Taeil’s car sitting in the driveway. Thankfully he had made it back. When Kun heard the news that Taeil would be driving back himself, he was worried something would happen. Luckily he seemed to be safe.</p>
<p>Walking up to the door, Kun rang the doorbell before testing the doorknob, a little concerned to find it unlocked. He carefully walked inside, glancing around. “Taeil? Are you okay?”</p>
<p>There was sound from the office and Kun turned to see Taeil sitting in the chair behind the desk, his head laid on his arms. It was almost unnoticeable, but he could see the shaking of his back as he seemed to be crying.</p>
<p>“Taeil, it’s Kun. I came to check the adoption paperwork for the boys, to see if there’s anything you can use to fight the doctor.”</p>
<p>Taeil sat up slowly, his face still covered in tears. “I wasn’t here for them-” He stood and shook his head, gesturing to where he had probably thrown his work bag as it laid haphazardly in one of the chairs. “I was at work. My job kept me from Yuta and Sicheng, it kept me from the boys. If you had heard Renjun’s sobs and screams-”</p>
<p>“Hey, shh, don’t say that. Nobody could have known this would happen, or anything else for that matter. You’re here now. That is all that matters.” Kun walked over and wrapped his arms around Taeil, letting the older man cry for as long as he needed, gently rubbing a hand over his back. He didn’t know how Taeil and Sicheng weren’t going crazy. If anything had happened to Ten … he shook his head, he couldn’t think about that right now. It was selfish to be relieved that his own husband was safe. </p>
<p>Slowly Taeil’s crying slowed and he pulled back, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be, it’s completely understandable. I can’t even imagine-” </p>
<p>His words trailed off and he felt his phone go off and pulled it out of his pocket, unconsciously worrying it might be bad news. Instead it was a text from Taeyong in the group chat.</p>
<p><b>“for a little bit of a smile hopefully …”</b> There was a picture attached of Jungwoo, Guanheng, Chenle, and Jisung sitting at one of the booths in the bakery, the table covered with all sorts of stuffed animals. Jungwoo and Jisung both wore what looked like attempts at crowns made from napkins while Chenle and Guanheng were pointing straws at each other like they were fighting. <b>“they’re playing dragons … lele has the whole story mapped out and sungie has been chattering away with them”</b></p>
<p>Kun smiled to himself, taking another look at the picture before shaking his head in amusement and tucking his phone back in his pocket and turning back to Taeil. “I’m not going to ask if you’re okay again, because I know that’s a stupid question. Is there anything I can do to help before we check the papers and go back to the hospital?”</p>
<p>Taeil shook his head before he went to the safe and punched in the code and pulled out a large folder. “I made an extra copy in case something happened to the original we have.” </p>
<p>A small laugh escaped Kun’s lips. “As Ten said when Sicheng told us - ‘it must be a professor thing’.” The comment merited a small hint of a smile from Taeil and Kun felt a bit better. “So, do you want to split the paperwork up to look through? Maybe that will make it faster? Hopefully we can find something that will let us get past the jackass doctor.” Kun noticed Taeil glance over at the curse and Kun shrugged. “We’re all hoping he leaves soon and his replacement won’t be such an ass. Even Renjun is fed up with him and called him stupid to his face.”</p>
<p>Taeil choked out a laugh and nodded as he opened the folder. “It doesn’t surprise me. I’m sorry he attacked Ten too.” He shuffled through the papers and handed a smaller stack to Kun. </p>
<p>“It’s fine. I think Ten was more upset and worried for him than even registering what he was actually doing. And you know we’d both do anything for your kids. Them and you guys as well.” Kun made sure to look Taeil in the eye as he said it, hoping he truly took the words to heart.</p>
<p>Kun watched as Taeil nodded before they both turned their attention to the stacks of papers in front of them. The silence was tense and Kun felt himself growing a little antsy. He didn’t do well with silence. There was a reason he had gone into the music field. Not to mention his house was never quiet, even at night when everyone was sleeping. It didn’t help that his nerves were already a little high strung from everything going on. </p>
<p>Unconsciously he started to hum through a song he had been toying with lately. It was intended as a lullaby for Chenle, since it always took a long time for him to settle down for bed. He glanced up to see Taeil looking at him with an odd expression before he shook his head. </p>
<p>“Is that a new piece?” Taeil’s voice was soft and almost distracted, the only other sounds in the room were the shuffling of papers. </p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s just something I’ve been playing with. It’s a lullaby. Lele takes forever to settle down for bed sometimes, but we’ve noticed that music helps calm him down and he can focus more with it. Which is probably why he has taken to the piano so well.” Kun continued shuffling through the papers, skimming over all the legal jargon that he only partially understood from his own adoptions.</p>
<p>Taeil hummed a bit of it in return and nodded. “It’s nice. Perhaps with a bit of lower harmony added in. It’s very soothing.” Kun listened as Taeil hummed a harmonizing line to go with the melody. He was right, it did fit. Taeil paused in scanning the papers and turned to Kun. “I wonder if it would help Junnie. I’m pretty sure his nightmares are going to be really bad again after all of this.”</p>
<p>Kun thought for a moment before shrugging. “It might, who knows. I can send you the sheet music later if you want? It’s still not finished or anything, but if it can possibly help the kids, then I’ll do whatever.”</p>
<p>There was a sudden noise from Taeil as he jumped and reached to hold out a few papers to Kun. “Do you think these might work? They’re probably not exactly what the doctor was being an ass about, but it will help, right?”</p>
<p>Taking the papers, Kun skimmed over the words, trying to make sense of some of the more obscure legal jargon. They were forms the three of them had to fill out about their relationship and how things would work with the adoption, such as who was to be legal guardians and such. He turned to look back up at Taeil. “I think so. If it’s legally binding enough for you to adopt the boys, it should work for getting past asshole doctors with giant superiority complexes.”</p>
<p>Taeil nodded before pulling the papers from the stack and rushing over to the printer. “I’m making copies to take so the hospital can keep them so this shit doesn’t happen again.” </p>
<p>Kun nodded and pulled out his cell phone sending a text in the group chat explaining that they might have found some paperwork that could help and they would be heading back to the hospital soon. He sighed in relief, letting himself take a moment to breathe. Everything would be okay. </p>
<p>After finishing copying the papers, Taeil grabbed an empty folder and quickly tossed them inside before rushing to the door for his coat and shoes. Kun followed after, catching Taeil’s hand as he reached for his own keys. “I’ll drive you. It’s been a long and difficult day for you. Let me do this for you.”</p>
<p>Taeil paused but nodded, a small hint of a smile on his face. “Thank you. For everything.”</p>
<p>Kun shrugged, returning a small smile. “It’s what family is for. Now let’s go.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so did the new style work out? ... i was hitting a block with the overlapping stuff so i decided (in an effort to finish things up and get it out to you all to try just skipping over it) ... there's some of it that i'm not completely sold on and such (so i may end up editing it later) - but let me know what you think ... hopefully the update makes up for it and you still enjoy? </p>
<p>let me know what you all think - it seriously is the best thing ever</p>
<p>stay safe and healthy ... and happy holidays (for whatever you're celebrating)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter Eight - Johnny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>and here we are - the last of the initial individual chapters! ... now we can get more stuff ... with that - would you like to keep the same order or just switch it up? </p>
<p>hope you all enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Johnny sighed in relief as he heard the sirens outside the house. The person on the other end of the phone was still talking, but he wasn’t paying complete attention. The sounds of the paramedics rushing up the stairs didn’t drown out the screaming he heard from Renjun and it broke his heart hearing him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The paramedics are here, thank you. Goodbye.” He didn’t wait for much of a response before ending the call and shoving his phone back into the pocket of his pants. He hurried out into the hall to meet the two paramedics, guiding them into the room. “We don’t know how long he’s been like this. His sons called one of his partners who’s out of town who got us to come over to check on him. We’ve been trying to call his other, but I think he’s busy with work. Sicheng was here today, so he might know more.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the paramedics nodded as they hurried around the bed and started checking things. Johnny didn’t know what was going on or what might be wrong, and he hated that he was essentially useless at the moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does he have any medical conditions or allergies or such? Anything we should know of?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny shook his head. “Not that I know of. He’s a health teacher and coaches soccer. He’s probably one of the healthiest in our family.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The paramedic nodded as the other started attaching various things. “Did he have an accident or such? Maybe a fall or hit his head?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think so. I’m- Sicheng would know better.” Johnny ran a hand through his hair again, sighing nervously. “They called me and Ten because we own our own business so we can get away from work. I don’t-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, we’ll check everything to make sure. How exactly do you know him?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s my brother.” Johnny didn’t hesitate in answering. It might not completely be the truth, but they were all close enough they were a family on their own. “His name is Nakamoto Yuta.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The paramedics had moved Yuta onto the stretcher contraption they had brought up and stood, turning to the door. “Okay, are you going to be riding along?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, yes. I mean-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without waiting any longer they hurried back down the stairs and Johnny followed, trying to ignore the heartbreaking screams and sobs from Renjun. If he let himself think too much about it, he would potentially break down himself. He climbed into the back of the ambulance after the paramedic who was staying in the back had pushed Yuta into the space. The other man climbed inside and closed the doors before the ambulance started to move. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny nervously twisted his fingers together watching as the paramedic continued doing things to Yuta, all the while calling out medical jargon to the other paramedic. He didn’t know what to do and he hated feeling useless, and it made the ride seem to take even longer. He felt his phone continuing to go off, likely from the group chat, but didn’t want to risk any interference with the machinery in the ambulance, as he thought he saw something about that on a show or such.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Yuta, you can’t leave the kids like this.” Johnny whispered under his breath to himself. “Renjun is trying to murder Ten.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they finally reached the hospital, there was another flurry of activity and Johnny followed the paramedics and doctor as they rushed Yuta farther into the hospital. He wasn’t paying attention to where they were going or anything, just trying to keep up with them and trying to listen to the words they were shooting back and forth, even if he didn’t understand them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They reached a set of sliding doors and a nurse reached to take Johnny’s arm to stop him. “I’m sorry, you can’t go back there. You can wait over there and the doctor will let you know anything as soon as he can.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew the nurse was only doing her job, and she had seemed nice enough about it, but his anxiousness made his skin crawl. He hated being useless. Giving the nurse a small nod, Johnny walked over to the small seating area and sat down, pulling out his phone. He quickly sent a message telling what hospital they had taken Yuta to before he scrolled back to read through some of the other messages. He pulled up his text conversation with Jaehyun and sent a few messages, needing to let out some of the nerves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>“i can’t do this</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>the kids are distraught and i don’t know what’s wrong with yuta</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>i feel completely useless</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>i know you’re busy with work, i’m sorry, i just</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>i love you”</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny switched back to the group chat, reading back through some of the other messages, trying to distract himself from everything. Hopefully the doctors would figure out what was wrong and could fix things quickly and easily. He didn’t want to think of any alternatives.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sliding doors where they had taken Yuta opened and a doctor walked out and over to the nurse’s station before walking over to Johnny. He jumped up, nerves on high alert. He tried to read the doctor’s face, but it seemed to just be a blank polite mask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you the family of Mr. Nakamoto?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was something in the doctor’s voice that he didn’t like, but Johnny nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m Suh Youngho. I’m his brother. Is he going to be okay? What’s wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor gave him a quick once-over before a slight frown crept into the corners of his mouth. “I’m Dr Kwon. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose any information about patients except to family members. Is there anyone else who might be able to step in for the patient?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny tried to keep his jaw from clenching at the way the doctor had brushed him off. He needed to stay calm so he could be here for Yuta and the others. “Yes, he has two partners. They’re on the way. One should be here soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was another look of almost distaste on the doctor’s face and Johnny immediately decided right then that he hated this doctor. “Yes, well. When the patient’s next of kin arrives, inform the nurses’ station to page me. If you’ll excuse me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without another word, the doctor turned and walked back through the sliding doors, leaving Johnny staring after him. He clenched his fists together, trying to keep calm. There would be no good in causing any trouble and getting banned from the hospital. He started to pace anxiously, crossing his arms over his chest. There had to be something he could do. He couldn’t just sit and do nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a soft clearing of a throat and Johnny turned to see the nurse giving him a slightly sad smile. “It’s not exactly illegal, but I can tell you that Mr. Nakamoto has been taken for testing. The results should be known in at most an hour.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nodding absently, Johnny gave the woman a small smile. “Thank you. I just-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay. You’re obviously worried. I understand.” She smiled again. “Family doesn’t always mean blood relations.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny felt himself relax slightly, deflating at the news and seeming understanding. “Thank you. Again.” He watched as she nodded before walking back through the sliding doors carrying what he guessed was a file. He was glad that some people here weren’t complete assholes. Hopefully that would be a good thing for Yuta too, especially with the unique family situation he had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Walking back over to the seats in the waiting area, Johnny slumped down in a chair. He wished there was more he could do for Yuta. In a way, he owed him for helping him get back together with Jaehyun after the sudden appearance of Jaemin. And now, he wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world. He pulled out his phone, smiling at the picture of the kids on his lockscreen. It had been taken at the party they threw for the one year anniversary of Mark’s adoption. Both kids were wearing big smiles with party hats and Mark had cake icing dotting his nose. And to think, if Yuta hadn’t been such a stubborn ass, Johnny wouldn’t have this. He wouldn’t have either of the boys in his life. He wouldn’t have Jaehyun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could let himself fall too deep into all the ‘what ifs’, he heard a shout and jumped up. He barely caught Renjun as he ran into his legs, his heart breaking at the sobs from the boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“UNCLE JOHNNY YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY WITH </span>
  <em>
    <span>OTOUSAN</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny barely registered Renjun hitting him, as he dropped down to kneel in front of Renjun. “I know, Jun bug. I’m sorry. The doctor made me wait out here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate the doctor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t be left alone. He needs-” Renjun’s voice choked up and he started crying again before Xuxi wrapped his arms around him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Junnie.” Xuxi’s voice was soft and too grown up for his age as he held his brother, lightly patting his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Ten walked over, he gently pulled Renjun into his lap and started rocking the smaller of the two kids, humming softly. Johnny motioned for Xuxi to stand with him and he watched as Xuxi traced a finger over some of the tattoos on his arm, seeming to get caught up in the designs. Each one of the tattoos held a specific meaning and told a story. He had even had Ten draw a few of the designs for him. Xuxi’s finger found one design that he had gotten after marrying Jaehyun, and he traced along the swirling lines, his face an almost blank mask. It was obvious he was trying to hold everything together and be stronger for Renjun, and it made the urge to protect them from everything that could hurt them even stronger. He gently ran a hand through Xuxi’s hair, hoping to help calm him down more, pulling him closer and wrapping his arms around him in a light hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was the sound of the sliding doors opening again and Johnny jumped slightly, turning to see the same nurse walk back through the doors before heading behind the desk. She gave him a small reassuring nod and he hoped that meant good news. Hopefully when Sicheng got here they could find out what exactly was going on and what they could do. Waiting around doing nothing had never been something he was good at.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry if the ending is a bit off - it just seemed to feel like an ending - and i didn't want to overlap too much with the stuff in previous chapters ... let me know what you thought of this one</p>
<p>and to everyone who celebrates - <b><i>MERRY CHRISTMAS!</i></b> ... to everyone who doesn't - <b><i>HAPPY HOLIDAYS!</i></b> ... and to everyone else - <b><i>HAPPY RANDOM DECEMBER DAY!</i></b> :)</p>
<p>i hope you all have a wonderful day / night and are staying happy and healthy :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter Nine - Taeil - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>first off - oh my gosh I AM SO SORRY that it's taken so long to get this chapter finished and posted for you all ... thank you so much for your comments and such - i swear i haven't forgotten or abandoned you all ... i just had some things with the holidays and a little bit of "how to get from point a to point b" writers block ... but hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait? and enjoyable?</p>
<p>also - there's some homophobic slurs in this chapter ... i couldn't bring myself to type out the actual word - as it literally makes me shudder and gag even thinking it ... and as a lgbtq+ person myself - it's not something i like ... so yeah ... i censored it, but i'm sure you can guess what is actually said</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeil followed Kun through the corridors of the hospital, trying to keep from running. Luckily Kun had already been to the hospital and knew where everyone was and the quickest way to get there, as Ten had answered the texts that they hadn’t gotten any news and were still in the same waiting area. Taeil felt like it was taking forever, when he was sure it was only a few minutes. The drive to the hospital had felt like hours, and he was only getting more anxious. </p>
<p>When they turned the corner into the waiting area, Taeil felt his eyes water at the shout from Xuxi who ran to him and wrapped his arms around him. “<em>APPA! </em>” Xuxi seemed to finally break and he started sobbing against Taeil’s chest. Taeil had instantly wrapped his arms around Xuxi, rubbing circles on his back to try and help calm him down. </p>
<p>There was the sound of people walking over and Taeil looked up to see Johnny walking over with a nurse. She smiled politely at Taeil, and he hoped there would be good news. Or at least the paperwork would get them any news. “I was told you’re Mr. Nakamoto’s other partner?”</p>
<p>Taeil nodded, anxiously holding out the folder with the copy of the paperwork that would hopefully solve the issues with finding out anything about Yuta. “Yes, Moon Taeil. Here’s- I don’t know if this is the exact paperwork- I made a copy from the boys’ adoption papers-.” He knew he was rambling and in completely broken sentences, but it didn’t matter as long as they could see Yuta and find out what was going on.</p>
<p>The nurse nodded and gently took the folder from him with a small smile. “I’ll get the department head. She can look these over and let you know. Dr Kwon will have to follow her decision, and Dr Bae is much more reasonable.” She turned and walked back over to the desk and Taeil watched her pick up a phone to make a call. He could only hope things would get better with the other doctor and that the paperwork would be enough.</p>
<p>Xuxi’s grip on him lessened slightly and Taeil shifted to pull Sicheng in for a hug as he walked over, carrying Renjun in his arms. He felt tears on his face again and he leaned in to press a light kiss to Sicheng’s lips, needing a small amount of reassurance. </p>
<p>There was the sound of multiple people walking over and Taeil glanced up, seeing a doctor walking towards them, a slight frown on his face. He hoped it wasn’t going to be bad news, but from the look on the doctor’s face it didn’t seem to be anything good. </p>
<p>“Are you the patient’s other …”</p>
<p>The doctor’s words trailed off and Taeil saw Sicheng straighten stiffly, using his full height to his advantage over the shorter doctor. When Renjun saw the doctor he started to struggle in Sicheng’s arms and Taeil frowned. This must be the doctor from before.</p>
<p>“Yes, I’m Yuta’s other partner. Moon Taeil. What can you tell us about him?” Taeil kept his voice as polite as he could, using the same tone he used on unruly freshmen who thought his classes could be an easy elective. </p>
<p>A short woman in a doctor’s coat came up behind the other doctor and gave them a short nod. “I’m Dr. Bae, I’ll be taking over for Dr Kwon. Have you heard anything about your partner’s status?” Her voice was cool and the glance she gave to the other doctor was almost icy. Taeil didn’t want to have her angry with him, he was fairly sure.</p>
<p>“No we haven’t. Yuta’s brother, who came in the ambulance with him, was denied any information as well.” Taeil pointed to where Johnny had walked over to speak with the nurse he had seen before.</p>
<p>“I see. Well, that is not the practices we hope to have in our hospital. I’m sure Dr Kwon will be more than happy to explain what he has observed thus far.” She turned to the other doctor with another hard glare.</p>
<p>Taeil noticed the other doctor’s jaw clench for a moment. “Your … friend has been taken for testing. There’s no results yet.” Taeil watched as the other doctor continued to glare at him before he shook his head, his anger seeming to burst. “It’s not right, there’s no way for them both to claim to be the patient’s partner. It’s bad enough that you insist on catering to all the f*****s-”</p>
<p>Before Taeil could completely process the doctor’s words, Dr Bae spoke up, her voice harsh and cold. “Dr Kwon, go wait in my office. Now.” It looked like he wanted to argue for a moment before Dr Bae simply crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze still unrelenting. </p>
<p>As he stormed off, Taeil heard him continuing to mutter various slurs under his breath and Taeil quickly reached to cover Xuxi’s ears with his hands. It wasn’t anything they were unaccustomed to, people had always been a bit skeptical and not entirely positive about their relationship. </p>
<p>“I would apologise for Dr Kwon, but I disagree with him and I know he’s not sorry. This won’t be his first disciplinary action either. I am however sorry that you were the victims of his hatefulness.” Dr Bae had turned back towards them and she seemed to be much more approachable. “Now, as for your partner, what he said was correct, although it wasn’t everything. We ran some tests and the lab is working on getting back to us with some results, but at the moment we don’t have an answer for you, unfortunately. I can however let you visit with him as we’ve taken him to a room for now. However it can only be one person at a time for now and a limited timeframe. The children will need to be with an adult as well.”</p>
<p>“We can see <em> Otousan </em>?!” Xuxi’s voice was loud and Taeil could feel him almost bouncing with impatience. </p>
<p>Dr Bae smiled at Xuxi and leaned down, nodding. “Of course you can. You have to be with one of your other parents and can’t stay too long, but you can see him.” When she stood back up she glanced between them. “So, who is going back first?”</p>
<p>Taeil turned to Sicheng but before he could say anything Sicheng spoke up. “You should go. I should have noticed something was wrong this morning when he didn’t wake up. You’ve been out of town, so you go.”</p>
<p>“Chengie, you couldn’t have-” Taeil shook his head with a small sigh. He had guessed that Sicheng would be blaming himself. But he also knew it was nobody’s fault and they couldn’t have guessed this would happen. </p>
<p>Sicheng shook his head. “You go. I’ll wait here with one of the boys.”</p>
<p>“<em>Appa </em> and Xuxi first.” Renjun’s voice was soft, and Taeil was surprised for a moment. As upset as Renjun had been the entire time, Taeil would have expected him to be impatient to see Yuta. “I’ll stay with <em> Bàba </em>.” Renjun reached to lightly pat Sicheng’s other shoulder and Taeil couldn’t stop the small laugh at the gesture.</p>
<p>“See? You and Xuxi should go first. We’ll wait here.” Sicheng leaned in to press a light kiss to Taeil’s lips before running a hand through Xuxi’s hair and stepping back. “Go ahead. Maybe we’ll be lucky and he’ll wake up soon.”</p>
<p>Taeil nodded before reaching to take Xuxi’s hand, turning to Dr Bae. “Okay, I guess it’s us first.”</p>
<p>“Alright, let’s go. I’ll have Nurse Kang lead you back afterwards.” She turned and walked through the sliding doors. </p>
<p>While he tried to remember the way to the room, Taeil knew he would likely forget it. Especially after seeing Yuta. So instead he focused on keeping up with the doctor and occasionally glancing down to check on Xuxi.</p>
<p>The walk wasn’t too long and soon enough they were standing in front of an open doorway. “Here’s his room. I’ll leave you for some privacy. Nurse Kang will be by when it’s time to head back to the waiting area.” She nodded and turned to walk away and Taeil turned back towards the doorway.</p>
<p>He slowly walked into the room, his eyes instantly going to the bed. Yuta looked like he was sleeping and it was unnerving. He had always been an early riser and light sleeper, so seeing him like this was unsettling to say the least. Xuxi pulled away and hurried over to the bed, reaching to take Yuta’s arm that wasn’t connected to tubes and wires. </p>
<p>“<em>Otousan </em> , wake up. One of the doctors is mean. He yelled at <em> Appa </em> and said nasty words. You can’t stay here.” Xuxi’s voice was softer than normal and it made Taeil’s chest ache. “He didn’t want to let us see you. He said we weren’t your family.” His voice trailed off on the last sentence and if Taeil hadn’t walked over to the bed himself he probably wouldn’t have heard it. </p>
<p>Taeil caught Xuxi as he shook Yuta’s arm before trying to climb up into the bed with him. He heard Xuxi start to cry again as he leaned over to drape himself onto Yuta’s chest and Taeil felt his own tears on his face. He carefully made sure Xuxi wasn’t going to fall or potentially hurt Yuta before he moved to the other side of the bed and reached to brush the hair back from Yuta’s face.</p>
<p>“Your hair is getting long again. I’m surprised the school hasn’t said something about it yet. It will probably be as long as it was in college soon.” Taeil moved to take Yuta’s hand in his, hating how there was no instant response of Yuta curling his hand around his in return. “We can only stay a little while and only one at a time.” </p>
<p>Glancing over at Xuxi, Taeil tried to keep as positive as he could. He didn’t want to worry either of the boys any more than they already had been. He hated seeing the boys upset, and watching Xuxi crying into Yuta’s chest made his heart hurt. </p>
<p>Suddenly Taeil jumped. It had felt like Yuta’s hand had tightened around his. He glanced down, trying to see if there was any movement. He desperately hoped he wasn’t imagining things, but he thought he caught the tiniest shift in Yuta’s finger. </p>
<p>“Xuxi, <em> aegi </em>, I need you to get down, okay?” Taeil mentally sighed at the confused frown on his face before Xuxi carefully climbed down from the bed. “Come here, I’m going to call the doctors so don’t be scared, okay?” At the small nod from Xuxi, Taeil reached and pressed the call button. </p>
<p>“<em>Appa </em> , why-“ Taeil felt Yuta’s fingers tighten on his again and Xuxi must have noticed because he shouted and jumped to wrap his hand over Yuta’s as well. “<em>OTOUSAN! </em> WAKE UP!”</p>
<p>There was a slight flurry of movement from the door and one of the nurses followed by a doctor came into the room and Taeil quickly wiped his face with his free hand. “His hand moved. I was holding his hand and he tightened his grip on mine. Please-”</p>
<p>“Yes, of course, now I need you both to step back for a moment while I check some things.”</p>
<p>Taeil didn’t want to let go of Yuta’s hand, but he reluctantly pulled back, pulling Xuxi with him, despite his protests. He watched nervously as the doctor seemed to be doing some tests, although he didn’t understand any of it. He just hoped this was a good sign and that Yuta would be okay again soon. Xuxi turned to bury his face in Taeil’s chest again and he wrapped his arms around him in return, gently rubbing his back as he started to cry again. Taeil hated how upset the boys were, and he knew that it was something they would have to work through as a family.</p>
<p>“We’re going to take him for a few more tests. You should go back to the waiting area and we’ll let you know the results when we get them.”</p>
<p>The nurse smiled softly at Taeil, motioning towards the door. It was the same nurse as before, and she had seemed to be helpful and actually nice. But right now he didn’t want to leave Yuta, even if he knew it was what he had to do. He sighed and nodded, pulling Xuxi back slightly to be able to walk. “Come on, <em> aegi </em> . The doctors need to check <em> Otousan </em> to make sure he’s going to be okay. Let’s go back to the waiting area with Junnie and your <em> Bàba </em>.” Xuxi seemed reluctant but walked with him, following the nurse back to the waiting area. </p>
<p>As soon as they reached the other room the others jumped up and Sicheng hurried over. “What-”</p>
<p>“I think he’s waking up. He moved his hand to tighten around mine. They’re taking him for more tests.” Taeil glanced up to see the mixture of emotions on Sicheng’s face. “I think he’s waking up. He might be okay.” He took a shaky breath before collapsing against Sicheng, not bothering to hide his tears. His voice was muffled as he kept repeating to himself that Yuta might be okay.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope the chapter was worth the wait? what did you think?</p>
<p>also - <i>THAT</i> doctor™ again hehe but this time he doesn't win :)</p>
<p>thank you all so much for your kudos and comments and such and thank you for waiting - hopefully there won't be another massive wait for an update ... </p>
<p>i hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and i hope you're having a good day / night and keeping safe out there with this crazy world we live in</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter Ten - Ten - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm sorry this chapter has taken a while to get out as well - things have been going on in my life and i haven't had much time / brain power to write that much, but i promise i'm not giving up or such and i do read and love each and every one of your comments - they seriously make me so happy!</p>
<p>i had hoped to get this chapter up for WayV's debut anniversary (TWO YEARS ALREADY?!) - especially with some of the stuff in the chapter - but obviously that didn't exactly work out ... but anyways - i am so proud of the members and i love them all so much and everyone should love and support them ... and to the sasaeng "fans" - they need to stop, for real, the members are humans and deserve to be treated as such, they don't owe us fans anything ... *rant over before i end up giving a full rebellion speech and trying to fight people* (i'm just really protective and i really love those boys)</p>
<p>also - did anyone else giggle at the fact that this is the tenth chapter and it's a ten chapter? was it just me? :) </p>
<p>anyways - i hope you enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, nervously tapping his fingers against his leg. He had been going through their company email and sending out notices to clients who were supposed to have gotten the finished products today and explained there had been a family emergency and they could discuss how they wanted to move forward. It was draining and he hated the business aspect of the company, but it kept his mind busy. However there were only a few clients to email and soon enough he was back to just sitting nervously and staring at the wall opposite him while they waited for Kun and Taeil to get back with some paperwork that would hopefully set things straight. </p>
<p>Johnny had managed to get Sicheng to sit in a chair with them, and Renjun had continued to stay attached to him while Xuxi found his way back to Johnny, running his fingers over his tattoos while Johnny softly explained some of the patterns and meanings. </p>
<p>The picture of the boys from Taeyong made Ten laugh slightly, sure that Chenle would be talking about it for some time and likely begging to go back to play with Jisung again. However, even that small distraction wasn’t enough to keep his mind from wandering off. </p>
<p>While he knew it was horribly selfish and hated himself a bit for even worrying about it, Ten couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to what he would do if something ever actually happened to Kun. Just that thought made Ten’s chest clench. He didn’t want to admit it to anyone else, but he relied on Kun in so many ways and he honestly didn’t know what he would do without him. Their relationship had been an unexpected one to the group, but for Ten it had felt like the most natural thing in the world. </p>
<p>Ten had met Kun during freshman orientation as they were both put into the same group, and at first Ten didn’t get along with him. He had almost instantly agreed that Kun was attractive, but there was something stopping Ten from even considering a crush. Kun was always the golden boy and even though they were in two different courses, they seemed to always end up in the same general courses. He was always the teachers’ favorites and seemed to be perfect at everything he attempted to do and it drove Ten mad. They constantly were caught up in arguments and Ten did everything he could to try and get under Kun’s skin in return. They always seemed to keep showing up around each other, whether through the international students association, various classes, or even just through mutual friends, and things always ended in an argument. And arguing was one of Ten’s favorite pastimes when it came to other people, especially when he could rile up cute people into arguing back.</p>
<p>That changed during finals at the end of their third semester. Thankfully for Ten, he didn’t share any classes with Kun this semester, only having the international students association and their shared friends group as a reason to be around the other. It was late at night (or early morning, depending on your viewpoint) and Ten had been walking through the students center, having snuck out with Johnny to leave a gag gift outside one of their professor’s office doors, when he came across Kun in the “quiet room” slumped over a table with his head in his hands. Ten wasn’t sure what exactly caused him to walk over, but he moved to stand by the table surprised to see the chaos of papers strewn across the top. When Kun glanced up at him, Ten would never admit it, but his heart dropped out of his chest and he probably would have given him anything. Kun’s hair was a mess from having run his hands through it, his face red and splotchy, and his eyes were bloodshot and confused. To put it simply, Kun was a mess.</p>
<p>Without waiting for an invitation, Ten found himself pulling out the chair beside Kun and reaching a hand to rub his back. That seemed to be all Kun needed before he snapped at Ten to leave him alone, before almost instantly breaking down and dropping his head to the table again. As often as they fought, Ten couldn’t leave Kun as upset as he was, so he instead sat with him and tried to help him through the finals project he had been stressing over, even if Ten ended up curling up and falling asleep at the table. After that their arguments became more banter and less fighting. It wasn’t long into their fourth semester when Kun found Ten in a similar state over something completely different. </p>
<p>The international students association was hosting a large meetup for the beginning of the semester as a sort of introductory mingling and recruitment party. Something people didn’t know about Ten was that he didn’t do well in front of large crowds if he wasn’t hiding among others or giving some kind of a performance. But as he was the representative for his class, he was told he needed to give at least a small introduction speech. Ten had been nervously wracking his brain the entire week before the party trying to come up with a way out of the speech, but the night came and he was still expected to make some sort of speech. </p>
<p>Kun found Ten hiding in a corner of the room, trying to make himself seem even smaller and avoiding eye contact with anyone. When he asked what was going on, Ten shook his head, not wanting to admit to being nervous or afraid. Instead, Kun simply nodded and held out a hand to Ten before explaining he would make the speech with him. Ten was never really a big believer in the whole ‘knight in shining armor’ thing, but at that moment, he was more than grateful for Kun’s help. Just as promised, Kun stayed with Ten for the small speech, even stepping in and making a few comments (and bad jokes), and afterwards he walked with Ten over to where the desserts had been set out, taking a piece of cake and handing it to him. </p>
<p>Neither of them really talked about what happened, but Ten found himself noticing more and more little things about Kun. The way he always seemed to have extra snacks in his bag for everyone, especially when he knew they would be busy. How he always seemed to really listen to what people said, regardless of who or what they were talking about, and made an effort to include them and everyone around him. The subtle differences in his smiles and laughs, whether he seemed genuinely happy and amused or if it seemed like he was merely putting on a strong front. How Kun never seemed to talk about his own problems and would always manage to turn the conversation to another person or topic when asked how he was doing. </p>
<p>Ten began noticing these things and he didn’t know why, but he wanted to change things for Kun. He wanted the other to be able to talk about his struggles. Ten knew Kun wasn’t perfect, he knew he had problems. So he wanted to be the one he could talk to about them. Ten began to study Kun, noticing the subtle changes of when he seemed to be upset or stressed about something. Not knowing what else to do, Ten dragged Kun out for meals or for cake and ice cream. He asked Taeil what studio Kun used the most and would drag him out to sleep and take a break. At first he kept these random outings hidden behind supposedly selfish reasons, but eventually he didn’t bother giving Kun an excuse. And slowly Kun started talking with him and sharing what might be upsetting or troubling him.</p>
<p>In return it seemed like Kun had a special talent for knowing when Ten was anxious or stressed. He was there at every performance, always with a single flower, using his knowledge of the arts building to sneak backstage to the dressing rooms before the show, sometimes just to give Ten a hug and a soft reassurance, others just to let him know he was there. When Kun didn’t seem to be caught up in his own work, he would sometimes drop by the practice studios, sitting and watching Ten rehearse. If it got too late at night Kun would be there to pull Ten out for rest. When Ten’s anxieties and problems started to well up and take over his brain, Kun would be there to start some kind of conversation, oftentimes picking an argument with him, just to distract him. He would bring up random things that would start them bickering, and simply smile at Ten’s responses. And so Ten slowly dropped his walls and shared when his own issues cropped up.</p>
<p>Ten wasn’t sure when things changed with them, but somewhere during their sixth semester, he realised that he had started to rely on Kun. He started to expect him at all the performances, just as he would always listen to whatever project Kun was working on. He would look forward to the random excursions for food or desserts or whatever excuse they used on each other to take a break. He wanted to keep the sight of Kun’s smile whenever they bickered about anything. He wanted them to always have each other to talk to about everything, to rely on for everything.</p>
<p>When Taeil and Kun made it back to the hospital, Ten jumped up, having apparently zoned out longer than he thought, and felt his eyes watering at how Xuxi finally seemed to break down from everything. Johnny had rushed over to get the nurse and Ten watched anxiously as Taeil handed her a folder before Taeil and Sicheng were in a hug with their boys. Ten hoped everything would get sorted out quickly and they could at least be told what was going on with Yuta, even if it was a worst case scenario.</p>
<p>Kun walked over and Ten almost threw himself against him again, trying to keep from crying again. He curled up closer as Kun ran a hand over Ten’s back, pulling him tight, his voice soft. “It’s okay, Tennie. I’m right here with you.”</p>
<p>The sound of the doctor’s voice caught Ten’s attention and he pulled away slightly, frowning at the sight of the man. Although this time there was another doctor with him. So hopefully things would get sorted out and they could find out what was going on with Yuta. The woman must be in control as the doctor from before seemed to be deferring to her. Ten shifted closer, trying to hear what the doctors were saying, his hand tightly gripping Kun’s. </p>
<p>Suddenly the doctor burst out and as he was storming off muttering various slurs under his breath, Ten felt his jaw drop open and Kun caught him with an arm around his waist. “It’s not worth it. If you get thrown out now it will only make things worse.” Ten wanted to struggle, he wanted to go after the asshole, but he knew that Kun was right. Causing a situation would only make things worse for them, and potentially hurt Taeil and Sicheng’s chances of being with Yuta. </p>
<p>“I still can’t believe-” Ten shook his head, knowing he shouldn’t dwell on it because he was likely to just get even madder and that could potentially cause more trouble than it would help. “Hopefully this new doctor will be easier to work with and maybe we can figure out what’s going on.” He leaned back against Kun, trying to take what calm he could from him. </p>
<p>When the doctor walked back through the doors with Taeil and Xuxi following her, Ten helped pull Sicheng to a seat. Renjun continued to stay attached to him and curled in his lap looking even smaller than he was. “<em>Appa </em> and Xuxi are seeing <em> Otousan</em>. The new doctor said we could see him. She’s not a word that Uncle Johnny said.”</p>
<p>Ten laughed at Renjun’s words, turning to see Johnny walking back over to sit with them again. “You’re never going to let me get away with that are you, Jun bug?” When Renjun just shook his head they laughed before Johnny sat on the other side of Sicheng. “Jaehyun said he’ll stop by after he finishes at work. He can’t stay all night, because of a conference call, but he wanted to come in case there’s any more legal issues. Apparently Dongmin told Jae to call if anything happened and they’ll try and figure things out. But hopefully with the paperwork and the new doctor things should be settled.”</p>
<p>“Thank you. All of you.” Sicheng’s voice was soft and Ten reached to take his hand. “I don’t-”</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t think about it. He’s going to be fine. And of course we’d be here to help. That’s what family is for.” Ten gently squeezed Sicheng’s hand and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Besides, Yuta still owes me for the last time we babysat the boys. I’m just here to be sure I’ll get repaid.” Ten grinned with a playful wink, managing to draw a small laugh out of Sicheng, which was what he had been hoping to accomplish. </p>
<p>Ten felt Kun sit next to him and wrap an arm around his waist and he leaned back into the embrace, dropping his head to Kun’s shoulder as they seemed to settle in to wait. He took Kun’s other hand in his and intertwined their fingers. He always loved how solid Kun felt. While Ten knew Kun wasn’t perfect and would never expect him to be, there was a steadiness in Kun that always managed to help calm Ten down and ground him, making him feel safe and cared for. </p>
<p>When there was a sudden flurry behind the glass doors and Taeil came out with Xuxi everyone jumped up, moving closer. At the news of Yuta possibly waking up, Ten sagged against Kun, his eyes starting to water again. Things would be okay. They had to be. </p>
<p>There was a noise from the other side of the waiting area and Ten turned to see Taeyong standing there, seemingly having dropped the bags he must have been carrying. “He’s waking up?” Taeyong blinked before glancing down and picking up the bags again, walking over. “Doyoung made food. I think it might be a bit squashed now though. We had to fight to keep Jaemin from coming along with me. He was insisting he needed to be here for his best friend.”</p>
<p>Ten watched as Johnny seemed to melt. As rocky as things had been at the beginning, it was obvious that both boys had Johnny completely wrapped around their little fingers. It was cute, and Ten was glad that everything had worked out for Johnny, because that had been a rough time. Of course, anyone who spent any time with Jaemin couldn’t help but love him, he was so open and loving in return.</p>
<p>The glass doors opened again and everyone spun towards the doctor who walked over. Ten tried to gauge her expression, but it didn’t give anything away. As she glanced around at the group before turning back to Taeil and Sicheng. “Are these all your family?” At the almost frantic nods from Taeil and Sicheng she continued. “The lab returned the results from the initial tests, but with what happened a moment ago we’re going to recheck a few things, but the initial results were-”</p>
<p>The glass doors opened again and the nurse from before rushed out. “Dr. Bae! We need you back there. The patient is-”</p>
<p>“Of course.” The doctor turned back to them with a small nod. “I’m sorry.” Before anyone could say or do anything she had turned and rushed back through the glass doors. </p>
<p>There was a stunned silence in the room for a moment before Renjun moved to pull on Taeil’s hand, having walked over on his own rather than be carried by Sicheng still. “<em>Appa</em>? What did the doctor mean by saying she’s sorry? Did something happen?” His voice was a soft whisper and Ten felt his heart drop. </p>
<p>Before Taeil or anyone could answer, Sicheng seemed to collapse, barely being caught by Johnny before he hit the floor. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so what did you think? hopefully it was worth the wait again ... and yay for a little bit of kunten's backstory randomly thrown in there (it just happened - blame ten for being a sap heh - and honestly it could have kept going, but i had to put a stop or the chapter would have been MASSIVE and later than it already is)</p>
<p>as it comes up, i'm trying to add in / share more of the backgrounds and such for all the families, but if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know ... at the very least i can try to give a short version in a reply or such </p>
<p>i hope you're all staying safe and healthy ... i hope you have something to make you happy today / tonight as well - you all deserve it!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>[ also - please don't kill me for the end of this chapter hehe ]</i></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter Eleven - Taeyong - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oh my gosh thank you all so much for all the reactions and comments and such over the last chapter! ... i knew the ending would probably upset a lot of people - and everyone's comments definitely proved it hehe (sorry - i'm mean and love a good cliffhanger sometimes) ... </p>
<p>thank you all for always being patient with the updates and such - no matter how long or short the space between them is ... you are all wonderful and i'm so thankful for each and every one of you</p>
<p>also - happy birthday to our precious lucas! (because time zones it's still technically his birthday here) - so a sorta birthday post? :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Taeyong smiled at Jaemin, watching as the boys sat in the booth curled together. Jaemin had refused to let go of Jeno as they climbed into the seat, and now he had laid his head onto Jeno’s shoulder with Daddy Bear curled in both of their laps. Mark was sitting across from them, reading the book the boys had brought home from preschool for homework, sometimes checking with Taeyong to make sure he was right. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the booth behind theirs the other boys were excitedly chatting and playing. Taeyong kept an eye on them, smiling to himself at the massively creative storyline they were playing out. The best part was watching Jisung joining in with the play, chatting more openly than he might normally. Surprisingly Guanheng did seem to be helping keep Chenle calmer than normal. They had been a little suspicious at Ten’s insistence that the older had some special powers with Chenle, but it seemed to not be an exaggeration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minhyuk walked over with a smile, bringing out cups for the older three boys before reaching to ruffle Jaemin’s hair and turning to Taeyong. “Do you guys want me to stay over a bit more? I heard Doyoung mention making food to send to the others, if you wanted to stay to visit for a little while instead of having to rush back?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong shook his head, smiling a bit. “No, you’re already doing more than you need to. Thank you though.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Taeyong, I’m going with you to the hospital. Injunnie doesn’t like hospitals or doctors, so I’m going to make sure he’s okay.” Jaemin’s voice was determined and was obviously not asking permission, but informing him of the facts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Jaemin, you can’t go with me. You need to stay here. Besides, Renjun has his </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Xuxi. Plus your dad and your uncles Ten and Kun are there too. He’ll be okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaemin sat up and crossed his arms with a frown, and if it was any other situation it would probably have been adorable. “No, Uncle Taeyong. I have to go. You don’t understand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong sighed, shifting to lean over the table towards Jaemin. “I understand you want to help and be there for Renjun, but you can’t go to the hospital with me. Hopefully everything will be okay with Uncle Yuta and you can go visit them tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! I have to go. If Dad is there I can stay with him since he’s there for Uncle Taeil and Uncle Sicheng. I have to go, Uncle Taeyong. Injunnie needs me. I know it.” Jaemin’s voice was getting louder and Taeyong started to worry they might have to handle a minor meltdown soon. “I’m his best friend and I have to be there. I just know it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily at that moment Doyoung walked back from the kitchen carrying two large catering bags over and sitting them on the table between them. “Here you go. There should be enough. I added some extra desserts so they can share with the staff if they want. I know hospital staff never get enough treats.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Doyoung, I can go to the hospital too, right? For Injunnie.” Jaemin turned his arguments towards Doyoung and Taeyong mentally sighed at not having to argue with him. Jaemin had definitely inherited his stubbornness when it came to helping those he cared about from his parents, that was certain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Jaemin, you can’t go right now.” Doyoung shook his head with a slight frown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Jaemin. Maybe later or tomorrow. You can ask your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa</span>
  </em>
  <span> later if you’re still insistent on going. But for now you have to stay here with us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong hoped they could avoid a full meltdown, as that was sure to cause an even bigger issue by pulling any of the other boys into it. And Taeyong knew that Jeno was somewhat close with Renjun as well, but Jeno was always more reluctant to argue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go ahead and take this over before it gets cold. Hospital food is disgusting and I can’t let them starve.” Doyoung smiled at him and nodded towards the door. “I’ll be fine with the boys. Jinyoung should be coming in for the evening shift and Minhyuk is here until then, so I can sit with the boys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Taeyong-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Doyoung shifted to stand in the way of Jaemin trying to get out of the booth and Taeyong stood, knowing he would need to leave quickly before Jaemin found a way to get around him. He quickly pressed a kiss to Doyoung’s lips before picking up the bags. “I’ll let you know when I get there and if there’s any news.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle Doyoung, move, I need to get out!” Jaemin’s voice had gotten louder and Taeyong was thankful there were no customers inside at the moment. Doyoung just frowned at Jaemin as he tried to push him away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong hurried out the door, ignoring Jaemin’s angry shouts. He felt sorry for leaving Doyoung to handle Jaemin like this, as he was likely going to end up having a meltdown. It couldn’t be helped though, they couldn’t take Jaemin to the hospital right now, at least until they knew what was going on with Yuta. He pulled out his phone to see where the others had said they were waiting before getting into his car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first thing that Taeyong heard when he walked into the waiting area was Taeil saying that Yuta was waking up and he dropped the bags in shock and relief. “He’s waking up?” Taeyong blinked before glancing down and picking up the bags again, walking over and standing by Johnny. “Doyoung made food. I think it might be a bit squashed now though. We had to fight to keep Jaemin from coming along with me. He was insisting he needed to be here for his best friend.” He smiled at the expression on Johnny’s face at the mention of Jaemin’s actions. Even if it was trouble, Taeyong had to admit, Jaemin’s stubbornness to do anything for people he cared about was definitely a loveable trait.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The glass doors on the other side of the room opened again and a short woman in a lab coat walked over, and Taeyong assumed this was the doctor. Johnny had texted in the group chat that the initial asshole doctor had been replaced and the new doctor was much more cooperative and understanding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong tried to understand what she was saying and if it was good or bad news before a nurse came rushing out and called her back before she could finish explaining things. He bit his lip nervously, hoping it was nothing bad and that things would settle soon. Everyone in the room was anxious and Taeyong felt his stomach clenching from the thickness of the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun’s questions made Taeyong gasp softly to himself. He hoped there was nothing seriously wrong. But then suddenly Sicheng collapsed and Taeyong dropped the bags of food again as he reached to try and catch him before Johnny managed to grab him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>BÀBA</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“SICHENG!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shouts of both boys and Taeil caused Taeyong to jump slightly as Johnny helped carry Sicheng to a chair, sitting him down carefully as his family seemed to swarm around him anxiously. Kun had grabbed a magazine from one of the tables and was fanning Sicheng while Johnny helped support Sicheng to keep him sitting. Taeyong nervously stayed back, biting his lip and trying to keep calm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng slowly blinked back awake, his voice soft. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.” His voice sounded shaky, but Taeyong was relieved that he was hopefully okay. “Shh, it’s okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>bǎobèi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m okay.” Both boys had crowded close, Xuxi climbing into the chair on the other side of Sicheng while Renjun stood in front of him, looking like he wanted to climb in Sicheng’s lap. Sicheng had reached out to gently wipe the tears from the boys’ faces. “It’s okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I swear today is going to cause all my hair to turn gray, and I’m not sure I can pull off that look.” Ten had moved to stand beside Taeyong and spoke softly causing a small chuckle at his words. “Kun, however, he could definitely use it for his hot professor vibes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeyong laughed softly and shifted to pick up the bags of food and put them on one of the tables before wrapping an arm around Ten’s waist and leaning into him. “I don’t know, I think you could pull it off. Oh look, I think I see one already.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ten jumped back with a frown before hitting Taeyong on the arm. “Don’t joke about that. Besides, if we’re talking about hair, I’m surprised yours survived college as many times as you dyed it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shrugging with a grin, Taeyong leaned back into the half hug from Ten. “Everyone has to be young and stupid sometimes.” He glanced back at the others, sighing in relief as Sicheng seemed to be back to sitting on his own with Taeil having moved to sit beside him after Johnny stood. “I have some food for everyone. Maybe that will help? Doyoung made brownies. Jeno insisted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the others could answer the glass doors opened again and the doctor came back through. Sicheng and Taeil both jumped up, Sicheng leaning slightly against Taeil. The doctor walked over and Taeyong felt his nerves on edge. He couldn’t tell anything by her face and that worried him, because what if it was bad news.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Nakamoto is awake.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hehe and we have another cliffhanger ... oops? :)</p>
<p>hopefully the next chapter won't take too long ... although depending on timewise of how long it takes me to write the next chapter - there might be a delay as i'm going out of town and getting a puppy this weekend so yay!!! :)</p>
<p>i hope you're all having a wonderful day / night! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter Twelve - Jaehyun - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><b>I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!!!</b> ... there have been a lot of things going on and it's taken a while to get this chapter finished up ... but hopefully it's somewhat worth the wait?</p>
<p>also - happy birthday to our valentines day prince (how hilarious is it that i'm posting one of his chapters on his birthday)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jaehyun frowned at his computer. His mind wasn’t on the project outline and reports that he was supposed to be working on, and it frustrated him. He would rather be at the hospital with the others, or with the kids. The memory that he had thought the slower paced morning would be a good sign made him laugh slightly. That had turned out to be completely wrong. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He jumped slightly at the sound of his cell phone vibrating on the desk, glancing down and seeing a text from Doyoung. </span>
  <b>“be glad i love your son.”</b>
  <span> He raised an eyebrow, unsure what he could be talking about, but before he could text back his phone lit up with a call from Doyoung.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doyoung? What-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa!</span>
  </em>
  <span> You have to tell Uncle Doyoung and Uncle Taeyong that I can go to the hospital. Injunnie doesn’t like hospitals or doctors so I have to be sure he’s okay. They said I can’t go, but Dad is there so I can just stay with him and Mark can stay here. Please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaemin’s voice was almost frantic and Jaehyun felt a small spurt of pride that he was so worried for his friend, but he knew that the others were right. He tried to make his voice as understanding as possible. “Minnie, you can’t go yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to wait for the doctors to check on your Uncle Yuta first. Your Dad will let us know as soon as there’s any news. If he says it’s okay from the doctors then we’ll find a way for you to visit. But for right now you have to listen to your Uncles Doyoung and Taeyong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a whine from the other end of the phone before Doyoung spoke again. “Your son inherited your stubbornness, Jae. He almost fought me to go with Taeyong when he left to take the food I made.” Jaehyun couldn’t stop the small chuckle and he could picture the frown on Doyoung’s face. “Are you going by the hospital after you finish work? Do we need to keep the boys overnight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of Jaemin starting to protest made Jaehyun smile slightly, even though he knew he shouldn’t be encouraging his son to argue. “I’m not sure yet. I still have to come back into the office later tonight for a conference call with one of the international branches, so I’ll have to see what Johnny is going to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well just let us know. You know we don't mind keeping the boys. We'll probably have Kun’s two anyways.” There was a small squeal from the other side of the line and Jaehyun laughed at the sound. It was obvious that Chenle was excited about the possibility of a sleepover. “As much trouble as Jaemin has been so far, you know we love him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaehyun laughed with a nod, even though he knew Doyoung couldn't see him. “Of course you do, he's your godson after all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I still haven't forgotten how panicked you were when you called us that first night with him either. But look at you now, you're a really good dad, Jae.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you getting sappy all of a sudden? Should I be worried?” Jaehyun joked, trying to push away the slight choking feeling in his throat at the words. He had been very self conscious about being able to properly raise Jaemin ever since he was dropped off with him years ago. And he would never admit it, but hearing one of his best friends saying such praise meant a lot, especially since Doyoung was very parental himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a small laugh from the other end of the line and Jaehyun smiled. “Shut up, Jae. But now that we have hopefully cleared up things with your stubborn son, you should probably get back to work. Just let us know what we need to do for your boys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. And thank you again. I know Minnie is probably a few handfuls at the moment, and not to mention you have Chenle too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up. We've babysat Jaemin more times than we can count. You should know we don't mind having him over. Besides, he's friends with Jeno too, so that doubly settles things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaehyun laughed softly before nodding. “I know, I know. But still.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a knock on the door of his small office and Jaehyun glanced up to see his assistant glancing in and Jaehyun sighed to himself. He hadn't been able to focus much ever since having heard the news about Yuta, and he wasn't looking forward to the rest of the meetings he had today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. I'll let you or Taeyong know what's going on. I have meetings almost the entire day, but if anything happens let me know. I don't care what I'm doing at the moment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. But get back to work now, don't worry about the boys, we'll take care of them for you guys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks Do.” There was a small hum from the other side of the call before the call ended and Jaehyun glanced up to his assistant again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Kim wanted to talk to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaehyun inwardly grinned at the slight worry in his assistant’s voice, but he had known Mr. Kim almost since he was a kid. It came with being close friends with his son, after all. He nodded and stood. “Okay. I'll go see him before the next meeting. I need you to do me a favor though? Keep an eye on my calls? One of my best friends is in the hospital, so I'll probably be getting updates throughout the day. Let me know if anything happens.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. And hopefully your friend will be better soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hopefully.” Jaehyun almost whispered to himself. He nodded to himself before walking out to go see Mr. Kim, hoping there wouldn't be any more bad news today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaehyun sat in his car in the parking garage of the office, debating on where he should go. To the hospital or to Doyoung’s bakery. On the one hand, Yuta had been there for him when he was at one of his hardest times. On the other hand, there were more than enough people at the hospital while Doyoung and Taeyong were left with seven kids, and Doyoung was technically working.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Kim had insisted on him taking an early day when he had heard about Yuta being in the hospital. Of course Mingyu would have told his father to try and help Jaehyun in any way he could after Jaehyun had texted in the group chat for another set of college friends he had made during freshman orientation and had been close with ever since. Dongmin had probably talked to the others too about the legal issues as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opening the chat, Jaehyun checked if there were any updates about Yuta. He frowned to himself at the lack of news. He closed the chat and dropped his phone to his lap. Deciding to check on the kids first, Jaehyun sent a quick text to let the others know he was heading to the bakery. If Jaemin was causing a problem, he shouldn’t expect Doyoung and Taeyong to handle him along with all the other kids.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost as soon as he opened the door to the bakery Jaehyun was nearly tackled by Jaemin barrelling into him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Are you here so I can go to the hospital for Injunnie?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily Jaehyun had plenty of experience with the infamous puppy eyes from Jaemin so he wasn’t easily swayed. “No, Minnie. We have to wait for news from the others saying your Uncle Yuta can have visitors.” Jaemin opened his mouth to argue but Jaehyun continued. “I told your Dad to let me know the moment you can visit. For now you’re stuck with me.” There was a chuckle from the booths in the back and Jaehyun glanced over with a smile. “And what do we have here, huh?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re playing knights! Hennie is the bad guy and Jisung is the magic prince and I’m the knight saving him and Woo is the king.” Chenle’s voice was loud and excited as he jumped from the booth and ran over. “Uncle Doyoung helped us make the crowns.” Chenle took his hand and started pulling him over to the booth they had set up, the table scattered with stuffed animals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaehyun stopped to gently ruffle Mark’s hair, his eyes catching the sight of Jeno holding Jaemin’s Daddy Bear. He wasn’t sure what exactly prompted Jaemin to actually share, but it made him smile slightly. Jisung waved happily and Jaehyun leaned over to press a kiss to the top of his head, smiling at the laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to the kitchen burst open and Doyoung walked through holding his phone, his eyes wide. Jaehyun took a breath, hoping it wasn’t bad news. “He’s awake. Yuta’s awake. Taeyong just texted me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ensuing chaos from the kids at the news made Jaehyun sure he had picked the right place to go as it would have been hard to handle for Doyoung on his own. Jaemin started ranting about going to the hospital again, the chaos seemed to stir on Chenle’s own shouting, Jeno had gotten up and moved to wrap an arm around Doyoung’s waist and leaned close against him, while Mark moved to stand closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down boys. We still have to wait for what the doctor says.” Jaehyun reached to catch Jaemin who looked like he was almost debating just leaving on his own. “Hopefully we’ll hear that he’s okay soon. But for now, let’s sit and get back to the game.” He pulled Jaemin along to a booth, tucking him in before sliding in himself, effectively trapping him. “Now, have you done your school work?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry for the kinda lackluster ending :/ ... but i hope you enjoyed regardless? ... and had a happy valentine's day! :)</p>
<p>as i mentioned in the end notes of the last chapter - part of the delay has come in the form of a furry little baby ... a few days after i posted the last chapter i went out of town to visit my family and adopt a baby ... and the poor baby got sick about a week after i brought her home so i've had to handle that too ... hence the super long delay ... </p>
<p>but if anyone's curious ... her name is Eko and she's (as of when i post this) 10 weeks old </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>so i know you all probably expected the next chapter (especially after such a lacklustre previous one) - which i am working on - and will have some interesting twists / revelations / such ... but i’m sorry that it might take longer than expected (or maybe not) ... i hate to keep you all waiting - i really do - but i got some bad news about my job today (because yes - i’m an adult) ... i’m going to try and get the chapter finished up and posted for you guys and hopefully can manage to keep things at a more regular updating schedule ... but i wanted to at the very least drop a note so if the wait on the next chapter turns out to be a longer one there’s an explanation for you all </p>
<p>i’m so sorry and i love each and every one of you for your kudos and comments and such - you are so wonderful and i hope you’re staying safe and healthy and happy :)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~ Row</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter Fourteen - Sicheng - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>first off - <b>THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT AND PATIENCE!!!</b> it means the world to me to know that people who read this ridiculous au / story enjoy it so much as to be willing to wait the sometimes excessive periods between updates</p>
<p>secondly - i can't promise any quicker / more regular updates as real life is still a bit up in the air for me at the moment (yay being an adult -.-) but i am trying my best to keep things moving with this story </p>
<p>thirdly - i'm not a doctor or have any sort of true in depth medical training or such - so i'm totally just making things up as i go along and hopefully it's not too unrealistic - but hey, this is fanfic after all :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Mr. Nakamoto is awake.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng stared at the doctor, part of his mind still not completely believing her words. Renjun started trying to run off towards the glass doors but was caught by Johnny and pulled back. He felt Xuxi’s tight grip on his shirt and he could feel Taeil’s heart racing where he had leaned back against him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are a few preliminary precautions and such that we are checking, but you should be able to visit within the hour. The same rules as before apply though. One at a time and only short intervals.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil nodded beside him, but Sicheng still couldn’t manage to bring himself to any reaction. Yuta was awake. He would be okay. They could see him within the hour. After all the stress and anxiety of the day, less than an hour remained. He could hold out that long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is one complication, however.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The words were like an ice bucket had been dumped over his head. Complication? He couldn’t tell anything from the doctor’s face, and his heart raced. Things had to be okay. Yuta was awake. That was good, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor glanced between Taeil and Sicheng before taking a breath. “Perhaps it would be best to speak in private? Away from the children?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng felt like he would be sick again. That sounded like bad news. There couldn’t be any more bad news today. Taeil pulled Sicheng off to the side, while Johnny and Kun took the boys. When they had stepped away, Sicheng turned back to the doctor. Her expression remained a blank mask and Sicheng hated her for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Nakamoto is awake, yes. However, he’s suffered some slight memory loss. It could just be temporary, which is the best case. Or it could be permanent and potentially worsen, which is the worst case.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Memory loss? How much?” Sicheng couldn’t stop the questions from tumbling from his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor’s face softened slightly and Sicheng took back all his wishing for her to react. It was almost pitying and it made his stomach turn. “We think around five years. He was still a little incoherent when we were asking him questions, so it could be more or less.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Five years?” Taeil’s voice was soft and Sicheng felt faint again. “That’s everything since college. That’s everything with the boys. That’s-” His voice trailed off and Sicheng had to kneel down for a moment to keep from getting sick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. We’re running a few more tests and are going to do everything we can to fix things. And hopefully the memory loss will only be temporary and will disappear before tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng could tell that she was simply trying to encourage them, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. “We can’t take the boys back. They can’t-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil nodded and Sicheng felt his heart break. “We’ll figure something out. We can’t let the boys see him like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can let one of you back to visit him now if you’d like? You can discuss things with him and the children can come later?” Sicheng glanced back at the doctor’s words, trying to calm his stomach as he stood again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil took his hand and squeezed it before nodding. “Sicheng can go visit now. I’ll stay with the boys.” Taeil turned back to him with a small nod. “I’ll tell them that Yuta has to be in a special part of the hospital and they can’t visit just yet. You go, don’t worry about the boys.” Taeil gently nudged Sicheng’s shoulder in the direction of the glass doors. “Go ahead. We’ll be here. I’ll try to get the boys to eat something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng looked back over to where the boys were sitting. Johnny had Renjun in his lap and was talking to him while Xuxi was standing between Kun and Ten who had one of their phones out. The boys were distracted enough for now, but when he went back to see Yuta? He was sure they would get upset. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How will we tell the others? I’m sure they’ll be confused about not letting the boys go back. And we need to have a reason to tell the boys too. I’m surprised Junnie hasn’t burst through the doors on his own yet.” Sicheng glanced back over at their youngest, his heart clenching at the thought of him being kept away. Even though he knew it was for the best. At least until they could figure things out with Yuta and his memory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can text in the group chat to let everyone else know. Although we’ll have to get the boys away from the others where they can’t read the message. They might not understand it, but I would rather not risk them seeing the news.” Taeil took a breath and turned back to the doctor and Sicheng was glad she had been patiently waiting for them to sort through some things. “Sicheng can go back now. I’ll figure out how to keep the boys back. Would it be okay for some of our other family to go back as well? Or is it strictly immediate family?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor gave a hint of a smile and shook her head. “As long as you say they can go back, it’s fine. If there’s any trouble, have them page me.” She smiled more naturally and a bit bigger, and it made her look younger and much more approachable. “My wife and I have a few sisters that aren’t blood related, so we understand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng nodded and glanced towards the glass doors. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to see Yuta if he had lost years of their lives together, but waiting around seemed just as bad. “How long will we have with him? And is there anything we should do or not do to help with his memory? I can’t stand him not knowing the boys. As much as he adores them-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t promise much more than half an hour, unfortunately. As for things to help him, just talk to him. Don’t hide anything he might not remember. If he asks questions, you can answer. Pictures can sometimes help too. However, if he starts to complain of a headache, we’ll need to check on him again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go ahead. I’ll go back over to the boys. They should be hungry and I’m sure Doyoung packed an entire buffet of food.” Taeil nudged Sicheng towards the doors with a smile before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. He pulled back slightly and dropped his voice to a whisper before turning to walk back towards the others. “I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng took a shaky breath before turning back to the doctor with a small nod, unable to form words. She turned to the glass doors and he followed her through, catching the sound of Renjun shouting after them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng stood in the doorway of the hospital room for a moment, staring at Yuta. The sight unnerved him and he wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Yuta’s smile was small and Sicheng felt his heart clench.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t stand in the doorway. I won’t break.” Yuta’s voice was softer than normal and he waved a hand to motion him over. “The doctors think I’ve lost some memories, but if you’re here that means I still have you, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clog in his throat kept Sicheng from answering at first, instead he just nodded before walking over and stopping beside the bed. Yuta’s hand quickly took his and Sicheng felt his eyes water again. “You’ll always have me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta’s smile was brighter and Sicheng felt the tears slide down his cheeks. His smile was one of the first things that Sicheng had noticed and liked about Yuta, and to see it again after the uncertainty of the day almost broke him. He dropped down into the chair beside the bed, trying to keep from simply collapsing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What am I missing? You can just give me a quick recap? Start with us. Is Taeil still here too?” Yuta’s expression faltered for a moment, the uncertainty in his voice made Sicheng gently squeeze his hand and nod. “Good. It isn’t right without both of you. Just one would feel wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng nodded, his voice caught in his throat again for a moment. He wasn’t sure how to bring up the boys, but he knew that Yuta would want to know. “He’s in the waiting room. He’s with-” He took a breath, trying to steady himself. “He’s with our boys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The confusion that spread across Yuta’s face broke Sicheng’s heart. He knew how much the boys meant to Yuta, and to see him not know about them made his chest ache. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, opening his camera roll and handing it to Yuta. “Xuxi and Renjun. They’re- You-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It will be okay, Sichengie.” Yuta swiped through some of the photos of the boys before glancing back up to him. “They don’t know about the memory loss, right? Please don’t tell them. I can’t-” He took a shaky breath, dropping his eyes back to the phone. “They don’t deserve this. I’ll try to get things back for them. For you and Taeil too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng shook his head at Yuta’s words. “Just rest. Take care of yourself. For you. Don’t worry about us. We’re-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you. That is something that will never change. So of course I want you to be happy.” Yuta gently took one of Sicheng’s hands and pressed a light kiss to it. “Everything will work out.” Sicheng tried to agree with Yuta’s positivity, but could only manage a neutral expression and slight nod. “Now why don’t you tell me about them? Perhaps that will help with the memories? Tell me anything, everything.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope this chapter was worth the wait :) ... we finally get to see yuta awake and such ... of course it's not without even more drama hehe </p>
<p>let me know what you thought - i seriously love reading your thoughts and flails and such :)</p>
<p>as always - i hope you're all having a wonderful day / night and staying safe and healthy and happy :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter Fifteen - Yuta</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes you read that right - Yuta's perspective finally :)</p>
<p>also - thank you all for being patient with me and this story (and all the others) ... things have been a bit crazy for me and i haven't had much time or energy to write lately ... i read (and reread and reread) your comments and they seriously help to make my day(s) better, so i hope you all truly understand how much i appreciate each and every one of you</p>
<p>but without any more rambling - aside from wishing my precious alien baby, Renjun, the happiest of birthdays - here we go :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sound of a repetitive beeping woke Yuta up and he tried to remember if he had enough time to hit snooze before he needed to get ready or if he should get up. The beeping continued and Yuta cracked open his eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness of the room. He was sure he had turned off the lights and closed the curtains before falling asleep last night. When his eyes managed to focus, Yuta glanced around confused. This wasn’t his apartment bedroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a sudden flurry of people rushing into the room and Yuta’s head started to ache at the brightness of the lights. Two people in lab coats hurried over to his bed, and that’s when he realised. He was in the hospital. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Nakamoto? Can you hear me?” Yuta blinked at the short woman before nodding, trying to close his eyes again. “Stay awake if you can. We need to make sure you’re going to be okay. I have some questions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta groaned and closed his eyes. “The lights. My head hurts. I don’t know why I’m here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room suddenly grew darker and Yuta managed to open his eyes again. The shorter woman moved to check his eyes and head and started asking questions that seemed to melt together and make his head hurt again. The only thing that stood out was the mention of his family. His family were all in Japan still, and with Miyako having just had the baby less than a year ago, they weren’t likely to travel over and he hadn’t heard of any plans before. In fact, he had been making plans to go visit them during the semester break. Of course, there were also his friends who were just as close as family, but he was pretty sure legally that didn’t mean anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Nakamoto? What is the last date you remember?” The doctor’s face was blank and he frowned in confusion at the question. Although when he answered, he caught a flash of something across her face. “I believe you may have some memory loss. It seems to be around five years, perhaps?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta’s mind blanked. “Five years? But that’s-” He closed his eyes again, covering them with his free hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It may be a temporary side effect, we’re going to run a few more tests to check. Would you like to have one of your family visit? Perhaps visiting and talking with them may help bring some things back.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The short doctor almost seemed to be attempting to convince herself as well as him. Why was she so involved? Surely he hadn’t been in the hospital long enough for the staff to form any connections, right? Or maybe he knew her from before? His head started to hurt again but he nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. Perhaps he could try and piece together something with the mysterious family members waiting for him? Maybe he could see how much had changed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor nodded and left the room, leaving him alone with the nurse who shifted around the room, adjusting the window coverings and bringing over another blanket from a chair from the side of the room. She seemed almost hovering and Yuta wondered if there was some connection with her as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Try not to worry too much. Dr. Bae may be young, but she’s one of the best in the hospital.” The nurse smiled as she pulled back a curtain. “Of course some people may try to argue that I’m biased since she’s my wife. But it doesn’t change the truth.” She laughed softly and Yuta returned the smile, even though he was still confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t understand. Why did she seem so invested? Did we know each other?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse laughed and shook her head. “No, she just helped your partners earlier. We’re used to discrimination because of our relationship, but yours is an even more unconventional one.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta was about to question her again when he saw Sicheng step into the doorway of the hospital room. He smiled and took a shaky breath. If Sicheng was here, that meant at least one thing in his life was still the same. And that was more reassuring than anything the doctor could try saying to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta had sat listening to Sicheng talk about the boys they had apparently adopted. He could tell by the way Sicheng spoke just how much he loved them and it made Yuta’s heart ache. How could he have forgotten such an important part of his life. There was no way he didn’t adore the two boys Sicheng showed him. He even had videos on his phone of them all playing together or from a vacation they had taken a few months earlier to visit Taeil’s family. Yuta could see that he adored the boys, and he wished he could remember them. Especially after Sicheng had explained how the boys came to be in their lives.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked back up at Sicheng from the last video he had shown him on his phone from one of the oldest, Xuxi’s, soccer games. “I don’t want to upset them, but I think keeping them away is only going to make it worse. We can’t tell them about the memory loss. I don’t want them to think they’re forgettable or not important. I’m sure they’re the most important things to me.” He glanced down at the phone again where he watched as the boy ran over and almost tackled him in a hug. “We can just tell them they have to stay as quiet as they can. I’m sure the other patients would appreciate it as well.” He turned back to Sicheng. “I need to see the boys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng nodded and stood. “I’ll get the nurse to show me back. Taeil can bring the boys. I’ll let the others know what is going on.” There was a small frown on his face. “They’re all here. Well, except for Doyoung and Jaehyun, Taeyong brought some food but he’ll probably head back to help Doyoung.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta nodded, taking a breath. “Is everyone okay? Are they happy?” He had found out that their group of friends had been the rest of the family who had been waiting for him, and he had been relieved they were still close.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Taeyong and Doyoung married almost right out of college, not a surprise I’m sure. They have three boys, Jungwoo, Jeno, and Jisung. Kun and Ten are still together, as strange as that still is sometimes. They have two boys as well, Guanheng and Chenle. Johnny and Jaehyun got back together. They adopted another boy, Mark, as well as having Jaemin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And all the kids?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng laughed softly and Yuta’s smile softened at the familiar sound. “They’re all close, or getting there. Apparently Jaemin was fighting to come to the hospital as well, because he had to make sure Renjun was okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta laughed along with Sicheng. “And he doesn’t even ask about his favorite uncle?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid you lost that title.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Impossible. I refuse to accept defeat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The laugh from Sicheng was a little louder and more relaxed and Yuta felt himself relaxing slightly. He hated seeing him upset. He hated seeing anyone he cared about upset. It upset him to know he was missing so much time from his memories, but it was even worse to see how it hurt Sicheng, and he was sure it would be similar for the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll go get the boys. I’ll tell them they can’t stay too long. You probably need to rest anyway.” Sicheng sighed and turned towards the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta grabbed his hand quickly and pulled him back around. “You can kiss me. Maybe that will magically fix this. A kiss from you and Taeil. True love’s kiss.” He smiled as Sicheng laughed again before leaning in and pressing a light kiss to his lips before pulling back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lay back down. You’ll need all the energy you can get when the boys come back here. Even if we tell them to stay calm, I can’t promise they’ll actually listen. They get that from you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng’s smile was fond as he turned to walk back out of the door to the room, and Yuta lay back against the pillows. He wasn’t sure what would happen when the boys came in, but he hoped it would help with his memory. Just the thought of having lost such an important part of his life made his chest ache as well as his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta heard the small boy before he saw him barrelling into the room. It was the younger, Renjun, and he ran over to the bed and instantly started trying to climb into the bed with Yuta, which made him laugh before moving to help him up. Almost as soon as he was in the bed beside him, Renjun had thrown himself around Yuta, burying his face in Yuta’s chest and starting to cry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I tried to catch him, but when the nurse pointed out the room he ran off.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil looked older and it was obvious to Yuta how upset he had been, but Yuta still felt the same he had with Sicheng and it relieved him to have another small piece of normalcy. Yuta shook off the apology, wrapping his arms around the small boy, gently rubbing his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay. I’m right here, Junnie.” He used the nickname, having overheard it in one of the videos on Sicheng’s phone, hoping to calm him down. “Calm down, you’ll make yourself sick.” He could feel Renjun’s breathing as gasps and worried he might end up hyperventilating. He ran a hand through his hair. “Calm down, Junnie, it’s okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta glanced up to see the other boy, Xuxi standing beside Taeil, his arms wrapped around Taeil’s waist as much as he could. He cursed the fact that even seeing them, he still couldn’t remember them. Although it was almost instantly overturned by how much he wanted to protect these boys who both seemed like their worlds had broken. He reached out a hand, motioning the other closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Xuxi’s voice was soft as he stepped away from Taeil and walked to the bed. “Are you really okay? Can you come home now?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Xuxi’s eyes were big and pleading and Yuta wished he could reassure him, but he didn’t want to lie. “I’m sorry. I can’t come home yet. The doctors need to do more tests.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They can’t take you!” Renjun’s voice was loud and his grip on Yuta tightened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s okay-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! They can’t take you away again!” Renjun started to cry again and Yuta rubbed circles on his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junnie, </span>
  <em>
    <span>aegi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they have to make sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span> is feeling all better. Then he can come home.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taeil had walked over and gently ran his hands through Renjun’s hair. Yuta could see just how much he adored both boys as well and it reassured him that he had fallen in love with the right people. Renjun continued to cry against Yuta’s chest and Xuxi had climbed up into the bed on the opposite side, leaning close against Yuta. Even without truly remembering the boys, Yuta felt his chest clench as he pulled them close. Taeil moved to sit in the chair next to the bed and Yuta felt his eyes water. This was his family. He knew he had to love them. But he couldn’t remember them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan, daisuki.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Renjun’s voice was soft and muffled against Yuta’s chest, but he understood the words and he felt the tears fall from his own eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too, Junnie.” He may not remember him right now, but that didn’t change his feelings. It wasn’t a lie. He loved the boys, his family.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yes i tormented my baby on his birthday hehe ... oops? :)</p>
<p>[again - i'm no medical person so i'm making some things up as i go - i hope that's not going to throw anyone off / such]</p>
<p>i hope it was at least somewhat worth the wait? ... let me know what you thought :)</p>
<p>as always - i hope you're all having a great day / night!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter Sixteen - Kun - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you all so much for all the support and patience with this story (and all my others) ... it really means a lot to me </p>
<p>this chapter was a bit hard to get out for a few reasons: a lot of real life issues, some writers block, but the biggest reason for the delay - a <b><i>VERY</i></b> needy and insistent four month old puppy :)</p>
<p>hopefully you enjoy the chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kun listened as the doctor explained that Yuta was awake, relief flooding him before the mention of a complication stopped him. At the mention of them talking away from the children, he walked over and motioned to Xuxi. “Come on, Xuxi, let's go sit down and let your <em> Appa </em> and <em> Bàba </em>talk to the doctor.” </p>
<p>It took a push from Taeil and a little pulling to bring Xuxi back to sit down beside Ten, while Johnny had caught and carried Renjun over to hold him tightly in his own lap. When they reached the chairs, Kun sat beside Ten and Xuxi squeezed to stand in the space between them.</p>
<p>“Hey Xuxi, do you want to help me with a special project?” Ten had pulled out his phone and smiled at the boy. Kun didn’t know of any sort of special project, and most of Ten’s work that wasn’t done on the computers either at their office or in the office at home was done on his tablet as it was bigger and easier to maneuver (or so Ten had insisted when he snuck out and bought the latest model when it was released).</p>
<p>At Xuxi’s nod, Ten shifted to almost encircle Xuxi between them. When Kun saw what he had started working on, he knew what he meant by special project. He had started working on a welcome home poster setup for Yuta when he got out of the hospital. </p>
<p>Xuxi’s eyes widened and he glanced up at Ten. “That’s for <em> Otousan </em>?” Ten just nodded and Xuxi seemed to bounce slightly on his feet. “Yes! We have to make it the best though. It has to be big!” Xuxi threw his arms out and Kun quickly leaned back to avoid getting hit, chuckling softly.</p>
<p>“Of course it will be. Your Uncle Johnny and I can make it as big as we want. I had to start on my phone because I didn’t bring my real stuff with me.” Ten glanced up at Kun with a playful wink and Kun simply shook his head with a smile. “Now, what colors should we use?”</p>
<p>Kun glanced over at where Sicheng and Taeil were talking to the doctor and had to bite his lip to keep from reacting. It didn’t look good. He hoped it wasn’t anything massively serious. He glanced back down at the phone Ten was holding, trying to instead focus on helping to distract Xuxi until they could find out the details of what was going on. </p>
<p>When Taeil walked back over, Kun glanced up to see Sicheng following the doctor through the glass doors. Renjun must have noticed too because he started shouting and struggling in Johnny’s lap. The look on Taeil’s face was almost a blank mask and Kun felt his stomach drop. That was not a good sign. </p>
<p>“It’s okay, <em> aegi </em> , your <em> Bàba </em> is going to see your <em> Otousan </em> first. If the doctor says it’s okay, she said you boys can go back later too. They have to wait to be sure he’s okay first.” Taeil stood by Johnny, reaching a hand to comb through Renjun’s hair to try and calm him down.</p>
<p>That didn’t seem to be quite enough to satisfy Renjun, but Taeyong held out a small plate. “Here, Jeno insisted on bringing you brownies. They’re special brownies and you can make a wish before eating them.”</p>
<p>Kun knew there was no real magic in the brownies and in truth it was just an extra amount of chocolate added to the mix to make them extra gooey, but if it would make the boys feel better, he would do whatever. He nodded with a smile. “Yep, they’re magic. Your Uncle Doyoung can do food magic. We sometimes even work together with our magic.” </p>
<p>Renjun didn’t look convinced, but he took the plate and fork. “I can’t tell what my wish is or it won’t come true. That’s how wishes work, right Uncle Taeyong?” </p>
<p>Taeyong nodded with a smile. “Just close your eyes, put your hands together like this, and think really hard about what you want.” </p>
<p>Kun watched as Renjun carefully copied Taeyong, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He wished it was as simple as that. But he would never ruin things for the boys. Especially if it helped them feel better about Yuta’s situation.</p>
<p>“Here, you need to eat too. I’m sure you haven’t had anything either.” Taeyong held out a plate to Taeil who just shook his head. </p>
<p>“I can’t. Not now. I’ll eat later.” Taeil’s voice was distracted and he kept looking back towards the glass doors. “The boys should eat first. I’m not hungry.”</p>
<p>“But <em> Appa </em> , you need to eat! Make a wish for <em> Otousan </em>!” Renjun’s voice was loud and it was obvious he would not accept anything else. </p>
<p>Kun felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to see a text in the group chat. “Jaehyun said he’s going to Doyoung’s first. Apparently Jaemin is starting to cause an even bigger fuss.”</p>
<p>“Speaking of, I should probably head back myself. I can’t leave them alone with all the kids.” Taeyong moved to put one of the food containers back on the table with the others.</p>
<p>“Especially having to deal with Lele and his quest to make Jisung his best friend.” Ten laughed softly and Kun smiled at the memory of how happily Chenle had rambled after their last group get together. It was cute how excited he was about making a new friend, especially since Jisung was a different age than the others.</p>
<p>Taeyong laughed and gave Ten a half hug. “We’ll see if they end up friends or worst enemies.”</p>
<p>“With Chenle there’s no in between I’m afraid. He’s about as determined as Jaemin is to coming here.”</p>
<p>Johnny chuckled, his expression soft and Kun was glad things between him and Jaehyun had gotten sorted out. Now there wasn’t a sure answer as to which of them was the worst at spoiling Jaemin. And with the addition of Mark, things had only grown to include him as well.</p>
<p>“Come on and sit at least. You look like you’ll pass out at any moment yourself.” Johnny motioned to the seat next to him just as Renjun heard the words.</p>
<p>“<em> Appa </em> ! You can’t! Sit down.” Renjun had reached and grabbed Taeil’s hand, pulling him to sit next to where he was situated in Johnny’s lap. “Here, have some of the magic brownie. I made my wish <b>really</b> strong.” He practically shoved the plate in Taeil’s face as he said it.</p>
<p>Kun managed to hide the smile and small laugh of his own at Renjun’s words and actions. He knew Renjun was being completely serious and would probably get angry if anyone laughed at him. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll have one bite, Junnie.” Taeil’s voice was soft and Kun could hear the worry and exhaustion in it, but he still managed to smile at Renjun.</p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p>Kun had stood when Sicheng came back to the waiting room, letting them know that Yuta wanted to see the boys. Renjun had almost run through the doors, barely being caught by Taeil. When the glass doors had closed behind the other three, Kun jumped slightly at Sicheng falling against him. Kun instinctively wrapped his arms around Sicheng, rubbing his back.</p>
<p>“He doesn’t remember them. Even after seeing pictures and videos. He doesn’t remember the boys. How-”</p>
<p>Sicheng’s voice was broken with his sobs and while it hurt Kun to hear it, he was also glad in a way. Ever since he had gotten the news, Sicheng seemed to be almost in shock and not reacting in any way. So even if this was heartbreaking to see, it was good that he was letting things out. </p>
<p>Ten and Johnny moved to wrap Sicheng in a group hug and Kun shared a glance with Ten over Sicheng’s shoulder. This was bad news. Yuta had always been completely in love with the boys, often to the point of excessively spoiling them, something both Taeil and Sicheng complained about all the time. So for him to have forgotten the boys? That was definitely something serious.</p>
<p>“Maybe things will come back when he sees them. Junnie is stubborn enough and Xuxi has a killer pout.” Ten was obviously trying to be positive and encourage Sicheng, but Kun saw the worry on his face. </p>
<p>“Yeah, don’t worry too much over it yet. I’m sure everything will work out.” Johnny’s voice was soft and Kun had a moment where he was so thankful for his group of friends. They were all doing whatever they could to help. “Besides, where do you think Junnie got his stubbornness from? Yuta is one of the most stubborn and persistent people I know. Trust me.”</p>
<p>Slowly Sicheng’s sobs began to slow and he pulled back from everyone, quickly wiping his face. “I’m sorry, I-”</p>
<p>“There’s nothing to apologize for, so don’t.” Ten’s voice was firm as he frowned at Sicheng, an expression and tone usually reserved for when one (or both) of the boys were in trouble. “Here, sit down and eat a brownie. Taeyong said they’re magic brownies, but they’re not the kind we had in college.” Ten winked and both Sicheng and Kun rolled their eyes. It seemed to at least get a small hint of a smile from Sicheng, and that was the best he could hope for at the moment.</p>
<p>“You know that wasn’t actually a thing, right? Just because Kun made them you would lose it every time. And to think, it was actually a shock to some people when you two got together.” </p>
<p>Kun managed to pull Sicheng over to sit, holding out a plate with a brownie on it. “You’re the ones who thought it was a prank or just us being fuck buddies.”</p>
<p>“Of course that last bit-”</p>
<p>Kun quickly covered Ten’s mouth with his hand. “We’re in public. Now’s not the time.”</p>
<p>Johnny laughed. “Oooh, he’s breaking out the professor voice. Do you need to find some privacy?” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows and Kun rolled his eyes. Although the comments and such did have the right effect in helping Sicheng to calm down and try to cheer up, even just the tiniest bit. So he couldn't be upset about being the focus of the teasing. If it helped his cousin in any way, he would gladly do anything.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i'm not sure how i feel about this chapter - but i wanted to get something out for you all ... so let me know what you think ... </p>
<p>[ also - who caught the fun little reference i had in there? hehe ]</p>
<p>i hope you're all having a great day / night :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter Seventeen - Yuta - Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm sorry this story is dragging on and such and the updates are so sporadic and spread out ... there are some real life adult things are still up in the air for me and it's a bit of a struggle sometimes ... plus my puppy is teething - and if anyone has gone through that, you'll understand it's a demanding time (besides, she's super clingy anyways bc it's just me and her) ... but yeah ... i'm working on things as often as i can and as often as the ideas come (bc i can't deny - some of the delays have been from bouts of semi writers block - unfortunately) </p>
<p>but with all that being said - i hope you enjoy this chapter and i hope it's worth the wait</p>
<p>[again - i'm no medical person - but this is fictional so i can do what i want right? hehe]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yuta woke up slowly, feeling a weight on his chest. He glanced down and smiled softly at the sight of Renjun curled against him, his hand clenching the hospital’s pajama shirt tightly. He moved a hand to gently run through the boy’s hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He refused to leave.” Yuta turned at the sound of a voice before noticing the same nurse from earlier walking into the room. “Luckily for him, Joohyun is weak to cute kids pouting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. The boys, they-“ Yuta paused taking a breath and leaning slightly to press a light kiss to the top of Renjun’s head. “They have a bad history with hospitals. I know it’s probably against several different rules, but having him here is the best possible thing.” He dropped his voice slightly, wrapping his arms tighter around Renjun in a hug. “For both of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Renjun shifted slightly and Yuta gently rubbed a hand over his back, hoping to keep from waking him. He wished he could remember the boys. It hurt to know that such a huge part of his life was suddenly gone. He wasn’t sure the doctors even knew what had happened or why he was suddenly missing part of his life. It was beyond frustrating knowing that he was holding one of the most important people in his life, but having no memories of them as if he was a stranger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your partner took your other son and went back out to the others in the waiting area. He said there was food for everyone. One of your partners should be back soon.” The nurse’s voice was soft as she moved to check some of the machinery surrounding the bed and making notes in a file. “They haven’t been gone long. I think the little one exhausted himself. He’s had a tough day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta nodded, turning his attention back to the boy in his arms. He wished there was some magic reset button to get his memories back. “I hate it. The boys shouldn’t have gone through this. Especially with-” He trailed off, not wanting to mention the memory loss, in case Renjun somehow overheard. If at all possible, he would never tell the boys about it. Hopefully his memories would come back soon and they could put this whole mess behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse nodded with a sad smile. “I understand. But kids are stronger than we think oftentimes. We just have to hope for the best.” She moved to adjust something with the IV drip. “How are you feeling? Any headache or pain anywhere?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My head has been hurting most of the time since I woke up before. It’s not the worst pain I’ve dealt with. I’ve been distracted as well, so I haven’t really thought about it.” Yuta shrugged slightly, feeling his heart ache at a small whimper from Renjun. He wrapped his arms tighter around the boy and ran a hand through his hair. “Shh, it’s okay, Junnie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As much as it might help to stay awake, your head hurting is probably something we’ll need to check out. For now though, I’ll adjust the medicine and let Dr. Bae know.” The nurse moved to one of the machines at the side of his bed, pressing a few buttons. “Hopefully this will help you. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta nodded and gave a small smile in return as she turned and walked out of the room. He settled back into the bed, trying to get comfortable. He normally didn’t sleep with a pillow, and while he knew it probably wasn’t as strange as it felt at the moment, he didn’t remember the feeling of sleeping with one of the boys curled against him. For now though he would have to try and settle as much as he could. Maybe having Renjun curled up on his chest while he slept would magically bring his memories back. He could only hope to be so lucky. His head started to feel fuzzy and he closed his eyes letting the medicine help pull him into sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, you don’t understand. They’re perfect. I know it.” Yuta frowned at the social worker who was helping with their adoption process. “I know it’s not what you’re suggesting, but I don’t care.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I won’t separate them. They need each other and I refuse to be that cruel.” Sicheng’s voice was hard, and Yuta was glad he wasn’t alone in his determination to adopt both boys.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The social worker sighed with a frown and shook her head. “I can’t approve this. You’ll need to go a different route. Perhaps fostering another child?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yuta glared for a moment before standing. “No, we are going to adopt these two. Both of them. I don’t care what we have to do.” He turned to walk away from the desk, needing to breathe for a moment. He debated walking out of the office, but he didn’t want to be kept out if there were any other discussions about the children. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know a lawyer. He’s a friend of a friend, and he works in family law. I’ll get his help.” Taeil’s voice was soft, but Yuta could hear the resoluteness in it and Yuta mentally sighed. He hated to think either of the others would be against taking both boys.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not sure you’re completely understanding the difficulty-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not sure you understand! We are going to adopt those boys. Both of them.” Yuta spun around, glaring at the social worker as he walked back over. A part of his brain realised she was merely doing her job, but he couldn’t help it. He had fallen in love with both of the boys when he first saw them. There was just something about them. And he would never split them up. Especially after having heard their story.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Taeil reached out and rested a hand on Yuta’s arm. “Yuta, calm down. We’ll sort this out. However we need to.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I have a practice session with a new group.” Sicheng stood, his face a hard mask. “We’re going to get both of the boys. One way or another.” He briefly gave Yuta’s hand a light squeeze as he turned to leave.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think we’ve gone through everything for today.” Taeil sighed, his voice calm but still determined. “I’ll get in touch with the lawyer and we’ll get back to you. Thank you.” Taeil stood, taking Yuta’s hand and almost pulling him out of the office. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sicheng was standing outside of the office door, arms crossed over his chest, when they walked out. “We’re not separating them.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yuta nodded as they all turned to walk out of the office building. “We can’t. And I don’t want to try with another child. They’re-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, and I agree. Just - it’s going to be difficult, so please try not to piss off the people we need to work with?” Taeil’s lips quirked slightly at the corners and Yuta couldn’t stop himself from leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No promises.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta woke with a start, jostling Renjun who was still curled up against his chest. His head was pounding and he felt too warm all over. He had to know if that was a memory or just a dream. He pressed the call button, anxiously waiting for the nurse or doctor to come in. They had to get Taeil or Sicheng. He had to know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything okay?” The nurse’s voice was soft, concern obvious on her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think- I-” Yuta pressed a hand against the side of his head. “I need to talk to Taeil or Sicheng. I think I remembered-” He didn’t want to say too much because he could feel Renjun shifting and likely starting to wake up. “Please, I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, I’ll go get them now. I’ll also page Dr. Bae. She’ll probably want to run some more tests, or at least talk about this.” The nurse turned and quickly walked out of the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otousan</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Renjun’s voice was soft and still held the tint of sleep. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuta turned to look back down at Renjun who had shifted to stare up at him. His head was pounding and he felt like he was going to be sick, but he smiled softly. “Don’t worry, Junnie. The nurse is going to get your </span>
  <em>
    <span>Appa </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bàba</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I just need to talk to them for a moment. The doctor will need to come talk too. Do you want to go-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO!” Renjun’s voice was loud as he interrupted Yuta, throwing his arms around Yuta’s chest as much as he could and clinging tight. “I’m not going. I can’t leave you. They’ll-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuta?” Sicheng’s voice was louder than normal, and Yuta could hear the slight hint of panic in it, although Sicheng quickly dropped his eyes to Renjun and softened his voice. “Are you okay? The nurse said-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had a dream.” Yuta tried to use his eyes to tell Sicheng what he really meant without Renjun noticing anything. “About a meeting with the social worker when we were adopting the boys.” His arms tightened slightly around Renjun. “I yelled at her? You walked out? Taeil-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sicheng’s eyes had widened and he nodded slowly. Yuta felt his chest tighten. It wasn’t just a dream. He was remembering. Even just a small moment like that was better than nothing. He felt his eyes water and he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Renjun’s head. Hopefully everything else would come back quickly. He didn’t want to spend another moment without the years of memories with the boys, with Taeil and Sicheng. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so what did you think? ;) </p>
<p>it was a little bit of a longer one? and it also gave some background into the trio and their adoption struggles with the boys ... so hopefully that helped to make up for the massive delays</p>
<p>i hope you're all having a great day / night! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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